Sasuke Oniichan
by Khmerfujoshi
Summary: After accidentally hitting Hinata with an experimental jutsu, Sakura was beyond horrified to find out who would have to take care of the seven-year old girl. And to make things worse, Sasuke doesn't seem to mind. Sasuhina.
1. You're My Oniichan

**A/N: Hello everyone, it's me again! And I bet you're all probably thinking 'Why hasn't this stupid bitch finished any of her other stories?' and I don't blame you for that either because I am a terrible procrastinator. This idea popped into my head one day while I was looking at an old picture I drew a while back. But that's also when the story ideas began attacking me! A demon possessed me and practically forced me to type everything out. I couldn't help it I tell ya!**

**So anyways, please read and enjoy. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but if I did, Hinata would be the first on my list. :3**

* * *

With the sun beating down heavily on the village of Konohagakure, the brief summer winds were anything but helpful. In fact, it irritated a certain dark-haired shinobi to the point of having to resort to killing someone, preferably his former teammate, who was at the moment, being an idiot.

Said boy looked up at his companion with a grin, while attempting to remove his pants. "C'mon Sasuke, you strip too!"

Aside from being the idiot he usually was, Naruto had, shockingly, much to the surprise of everyone else in the village, grown up as well. The baby fat he once had replaced his face with a clearly stronger and more defined jaw, high cheekbones, and a nose suitable for one like himself. His once short and spiky hairdo had long ago grown out to the nape of his neck, causing him to greatly resemble a younger version of the Yondaime. His tan remained in place, but there was a glow of some sort to it now. It looked natural and healthy. His eyes on the other hand remained the same; a cerulean-blue, bright and honest, loud and friendly. Aside from his looks, Naruto hadn't changed one bit, save for his maturity level going up about five inches over the years. However, his childish and annoying personality remained intact, much to Sasuke's annoyance and slight relief.

The Uchiha merely stared at him in irritation as a vein appeared near his temple.

"No. Freaking. Way," he deadpanned. His arms were crossed, signaling his final decision. No matter how hot it was, there was no way that he was going to go and do _that _with Naruto.

Sticking his tongue out at him, the blond removed his sandals before heading for the river hidden behind the thicket of trees that led into a dense forest. "Suit yourself, teme. Don't blame me if you catch on fire!" he called over his shoulder before disappearing.

Glad that the idiot was gone, Sasuke sat down on the thick, tree stump. Leaning back on his arms for support, he stared up longingly at the bright-blue sky, hoping that his will alone would be enough to make it snow.

Sighing, the Uchiha fanned himself with the front of his shirt. His training with Naruto earlier had proved to be refreshing. It was however, anything but bearable, considering the heat wave that had taken over Konoha like a storm. Sasuke hated summer, as well as the burning sun that scorched mercilessly at his sensitive skin, not that he would admit this of course. He preferred the coolness of winter and its' darkening skies, which was understandable considering his image physically. In fact, it more than suited him. He was like the night sky itself. And ironically, he preferred night over daytime as well.

Taking after his mother, the young Jonin had not only inherited her beauty, but her dark locks and eyes too. He had her pale skin, but thankfully received a few of his father's masculine genes in the process. These genes included the fact that he was not slender and feminine like his mother, but a lean and muscular young man already in possession of great abilities, fitting for his future position as an ANBU captain.

At the age of seventeen, Uchiha Sasuke was indeed inevitably handsome, if not talented as well.

A low growl erupted from deep within his throat as he raked a pale hand through his damp hair. It was unbelievably hot today, more so than usual. And that really, _really _pissed him off. He detested hot weather. It was certainly a mystery to him why people like Naruto enjoyed summer at all. Standing up, the Uchiha brushed aside the dirt footprint that dirtied the front of his shorts. He must've gotten it after his sparring match with Naruto. The blond was notable for kicking Sasuke in places he could see after their short training sessions. He purposely did so to make him mad, which obviously worked, since it infuriated the Uchiha to no end.

"Usurakontachi…"he muttered underneath his breath before departing for the village to find something to eat. He was starving.

* * *

For all of the men in Konoha, she was a sight to behold, whether she was aware of it or not, which she wasn't. In fact, she never really was, much to their dismay. Until now that is.

Locks of indigo fell just at her slender waist, beautiful, soft, and straight looking hair kept perfectly balanced with no split-ends or flyaways whatsoever. Her heart-shaped face was framed by two side-bangs, both falling past her shoulders. Lavender, opalescent eyes were framed by gorgeously-thick and long lashes, set just beneath her finely shaped eyebrows. With her porcelain-like skin, button of a nose, and petal-pink lips, she was what many could've easily considered to be the most beautiful young woman they'd ever laid their eyes on.

Which was why they wanted to ask her out.

Hinata fell into step beside her former teammates, attempting to help support a dehydrating Kiba with as much strength as she could. The canine-like teen looked ready to die from the heat and thirst, his tongue sticking out of his mouth as he panted heavily, coughing as he struggled to keep himself up without putting too much weight on the delicate Hyuuga, who from the kindness of her heart was willing to help him. He fanned himself with the front of his loose and white wife-beater, wishing that he could just take off the damn shirt along with his pants and boxers. Unfortunately for him, Hinata was there, and the last thing he wanted was to subject his teammate and sister-like friend to more embarrassment than she could possibly handle.

Kiba had grown over the years as well. His frame was no longer thin and lanky, but lean and muscular, like most of the other male shinobi around his age. His trademark tattoos were still in place, his eyes and nose sharp, showing just how keen his senses were, akin to his looks.

Hinata watched as Kiba shot their other former teammate, Shino, a glare. The bespectacled young man walked alongside them calmly as usual with his shades, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his jeans. He seemed to be the only one in their group unaffected by the heat. Just watching him made Kiba feel like he was literally in hell.

Shino hadn't changed too much, aside from the fact that he was noticeably taller and muscular. On rare occasions, mainly due to the weather, he would replace his thick jacket, once-in-a-while, with a sleeveless, white shirt, the collar still managing to cover the bottom-half of his face for some reason. But for a reason unknown to his teammates, he wasn't too fond of overly exposing himself in public, facial-wise that is.

Kiba cried out in pure agony as he held onto Hinata, unconsciously crushing her small frame against his own. "DAMMIT, WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE SO HOT!!!" he cried, as though his words would reach Mother Earth herself. Sighing, he said "I'm gonna die, Hinata. You might as well leave me here on the road and save yourself."

"Perhaps we should do just that…" Shino quietly mused to himself, apparently not quietly enough considering the fact that Kiba had heard him. The dog-boy used what little energy he had to glare daggers at his teammate and friend. Hinata, however, tried her best to encourage her teammate to not give up.

"D-Don't worry, Kiba-kun, we're a-almost near the shop," she smiled, despite the energy she felt herself slowly being drained from her body. Hinata wasn't one to complain, and since Kiba seemed to be doing most of it, she felt that he'd done enough in place of her share.

"Hinata," Shino began in his deep voice. "You don't have to help Kiba anymore from this point on. He should be able to walk the rest of the way by himself."

Kiba shot his friend another glare. "If you were helping me instead, then maybe she wouldn't be doing this right now, y'know!"

Tuning out Kiba's curses towards Shino, Hinata focused solely on getting the three of them to the shop, where cold iced-tea, ice-cream, and desserts awaited them, along with built in air-conditioning.

Today _was _hot. Being the shy-beauty that she was, Hinata wore clothes, in her opinion, appropriate for a girl around her age. As a child, she'd worn baggy sweatshirts and over-sized jackets, conscious of her figure. During her growth however, her father, as well as the women of the Hyuuga household had eventually reprimanded her for not properly dressing as a lady should. Seeing as how hot it was today, Hinata took this chance to wear something more lady-like, with a casual elegance fitting for her image.

Wrapping snugly around her slender form, the baby-blue sundress fell just above her knees, revealing beautiful and supple legs. The thin straps that hugged her shoulders revealed more skin than she was used to showing, her arms bare and visible. The sandals she usually wore were replaced with a black and more feminine pair. She had to admit the dress was cute, seeing as how it was her father who had picked it out for her, but these were the least of her troubles. What bothered Hinata the most was the gift God had bestowed upon her when he could've given it to other girls. If anything, what she hated the most about herself were her large breasts. Her breasts were just about one of the many reasons she'd taken a liking to wearing baggy clothes in the first place. It was because of the 'twins' that she attracted unwanted attention. She hated being in the spotlight more than anything.

Ignoring her chest-complex, Hinata continued to support Kiba as the two walked alongside one another. The close contact didn't bother her in the least. To Hinata, Kiba, as well as Shino, was like a brother to her. He of course felt the same way and paid no mind to the chest just inches from his dangling arm that hung over Hinata's bare shoulders.

* * *

As they rounded a corner down the road, Kiba nearly stumbled over his own two feet while running towards the shop. Hinata and Shino calmly followed him. Once inside, the three were greeted by a blast of cool air, caressing their burning skin as they made their way to an empty table with three chairs. By this point, Kiba had already melted from the pleasure the coolness of the shop provided him. If his parents hadn't been so cheap and bought an air-conditioner like they should've, then maybe Kiba wouldn't have had to skip out on his daily house chores. And although there was hell to pay later on, he decided it had been worth it.

Hinata had expected as much. The shop was packed full of preteens and others their own age. Many were chatting amongst themselves, while others placed their orders or ate. Several girls, however, were particularly noisy around a table sitting in the corner.

They waited for about five minutes, but since no one came by to take their orders, busy as they were, Hinata stood up and asked her teammates, "W-What would you guys l-like to drink?"

Shino was about to object to her buying for them, but was cut off when Kiba answered "Soda please!" She nodded and looked to Shino with a smile.

"Shino-kun?"

Deciding that there would be no point in objecting the girl since she'd already offered, Shino said "Iced-tea."

"Alright then," she smiled. "I-I'll just go up to the front and p-place our orders there, okay?" They nodded, prompting the Hyuuga to go up front for their drinks.

After paying the kind and elderly man, Hinata smiled in appreciation for his preparation of the drinks. "Th-Thank you, ojiisan."

He smiled in return, the skin near his eyes crinkling as he did so. "It was my pleasure, young lady."

Walking back to her table with the tray of drinks in hand, Hinata set it down. Kiba snatched his glass, more than eager to drink it all in one gulp. Shino thanked her before picking up his glass, tugging his collar down before lightly sipping at it. Removing the straw from its paper wrapping, Hinata gently placed it inside her own glass of iced-tea, stirring the ice-cubes around before taking a sip herself. It was fresh and light on her tongue. Smiling, she began to drink more, not realizing how thirsty she had actually been until now.

Content, Kiba leaned back in his chair, arms dangling at his sides. "So, what do you guys want to do next?"

While Shino said nothing, Hinata continued to sip lightly at her iced-tea, unsure of how to answer. She never knew what to do. It was usually Kiba or Shino who decided it. She could've suggested training, but felt that Kiba would object to it due to his loathing of the insanely-hot weather. Either way, she didn't really care. Being with them was enough for her.

"Ah!" Kiba slammed a fist into his open palm. "How about swimming? That okay with you guys?" he asked.

There was a moment of silence before Shino finally answered. "I…don't swim."

The Inuzuka rolled his eyes. "Baaaka, you don't have to. You can just watch while me and Hinata have all the fun, right Hinata?" he grinned.

Blushing, Hinata averted her gaze to the side before meeting Kiba's eyes hesitantly. "Ano…K-Kiba-kun, wouldn't I n-need a swimsuit to g-go swimming?"

The dog-boy scratched the back of his head in thought for a minute before replying "Oh, you're right."

Shino spoke up this time. "Do you have one, Hinata?" she shook her head. "Do you want to swim?" She took a moment to answer before nodding, a pretty blush painting her cheeks. "I see."

"Well, that settles it then," Kiba said as he stood up, raking back his messy, brown hair. Shino stood up as well, hands in his pockets.

Hinata looked to the both of them, confused. "A-Are we going swimming now?" she asked. Kiba clapped a hand on her shoulder with a grin.

"Not until we go and buy you a swimsuit first, baka."

* * *

Sasuke hated girls. This was a fact he could not deny, but it didn't mean he liked boys either. Both, in his opinion, were annoying. In fact, everything was annoying to the Uchiha.

He'd only wanted to escape the heat and eat in peace. In return, the price he'd had to pay resulted in about a dozen girls surrounding his table at the small shop he'd chosen to take refuge at. While the girls bombarded him with countless invitations and confessions, the boys had taken to glaring at him in silent jealousy. As if it was his fault. He never _asked_ to be handsome. He had his mother, who he loved, bless her soul in heaven, to blame for that.

With a barely audible grunt, Sasuke continued his walk down the dirt road, occasionally kicking aside a pebble of some sort out of boredom. Killing time was a lot harder than it seemed.

* * *

Flipping back her shoulder-length pink hair, a young woman, who many-men in particular, considered a living goddess, walked the streets of Konoha with her head held up high, an air of superiority about her. Haruno Sakura was indeed one of the most beautiful women to inhabit the village of Konoha. She was tall and slender, delicate-looking on the outside, with monster-like strength on the inside. Her pale and peach-like complexion looked absolutely stunning against her vibrant, jade-green eyes. During her days as a former chunin, she'd developed her skills over the years, physically and mentally. She was what every man looked for in a woman. Beautiful, smart, and strong.

But despite the perfection she displayed publicly, inside, the kunoichi cursed silently to herself.

Now at the rank of Jonin, Sakura, much to her dismay, was still an apprentice to one of the legendary three Sanin. The current Hokage, Tsunade-sama, also known as the Godaime. It wasn't that she didn't like the Hokage; in fact, she absolutely adored and admired her. The woman was her idol. What ticked Sakura off to no end was the fact that Tsunade had refused to help her in her need of great assistance.

"Tsunade-sama can be so mean sometimes…" she grumbled, pouting as she tightened her hold on the several books she currently held. Over the past few weeks, Sakura had been studying and secretly working on a jutsu. A jutsu she'd thought up that Tsunade had refused to help her with. Said jutsu was created for a purpose and one purpose only.

Her entire body went stiff the second her eyes landed on the love of her life.

Sasuke stood at a fruit stand, turning the apple over in his hand to check for any imperfections on the piece of fruit. In a flash, Sakura had immediately dashed over to his side, batting her eyelashes flirtatiously at him while he regarded her with disinterest.

"Hi Sasuke-kun," she smiled shyly, making circles in the dirt with her sandal. "What brings you to this part of the village?" She glanced up at him from beneath her long eyelashes, wondering if he would return her stare. He, however, did not, and during her moment of shock, she watched as he walked away, hands shoved deep into the pockets of his shorts.

Her heart had literally broken into two.

_Why?_ She cried to herself silently. _Why do you have to be so cruel?_ _Everything I do is for you, Sasuke-kun!_

A more than eager Sakura ran to catch up with him, her arms flailing behind her as she did so.

* * *

"I say blue," Kiba mused, studying Hinata in order to visualize her in his choice for a swimsuit.

"I think white would look better," Shino commented.

"Blue," Kiba growled.

"White," Shino replied.

Hinata, along with Kiba and Shino stood inside a clothing shop. Today's sale consisted mainly of swimsuits. Hmm, go figure.

"Which one do _you _like better, Hinata?" Holding out the hanger with the swimsuit hanging from it, Kiba held it up in front of her, allowing her to get a good view of the two-piece bikini. The top was strapless around the shoulders and only went around the neck with a thin strap. The bottom half flared out into a short and frilly-looking skirt with short-shorts attached underneath. Shino held up a one-piece swimsuit. It was pure-white with a modestly-low neckline and spaghetti straps. The bottom half held beaded, tear-shaped crystals around the waist. Both were honestly, very pretty in her opinion, but when it came to decisions, Kiba and Shino were practically at war with one another.

Not wanting to hurt either of their feelings, or become the cause of a fight, Hinata smiled and said "I-I like b-both of them."

Both boys looked at her and then each other for a moment before releasing a long sigh. Their sister-kunoichi certainly had a way of settling things in her own subtle manner. Walking up to the counter, they put down the swimsuits and pulled out their wallets.

* * *

"Oi, over here you guys!" Kiba shouted to the other two from across the clearing. Hinata and Shino calmly made their way past a thicket of trees, stepping over the thin, yet sharp branches that would no doubt hurt them.

From what they had been told, Kiba was taking them to his secret place. A river hidden behind the dense forest that no one else knew about.

"_The water there's really clean! I think it's something you'd like, Hinata!"_ he'd said while grinning.

Holding onto a branch overhead to keep from falling, Hinata stepped over a fallen log with an army of ants coming out from it. She giggled to herself as Shino bent down to get a closer look at them, the expression on his face unreadable as he stared.

"Sh-Shino-kun?"

"Coming," he muttered, more to himself than her.

She sighed and decided to go on ahead. _Oh well._

Being careful so that she didn't snag her sundress on any of the lower branches, she jumped, as delicately as she could, over several more fallen branches, many of them thick with protruding and pointy ends. As she jumped over a few more, a blush instantly lit her cheeks as she froze, rooted to her current spot. Although dresses were a bit breezy, Hinata knew the limits to how breezy a dress could be.

Slowly, she turned around to untangle the hem of her sundress that had tangled itself with one of the lower branches, blushing as she did so. _Oh my_, she thought embarrassed. _I really should be more careful._ After freeing her sundress, she gently smoothed out the hem._ It's a good thing that no one else was around to see-_ she froze immediately in her thoughts, her gaze landing on the person who stood a good ten feet away from her. Lavender eyes instantly met obsidian orbs. Her heart quickened as her blush worsened.

_-it_…

Hinata shivered inwardly as she stood before him. For a boy her age, he was certainly intimidating. She'd never spoken directly to him before, nor had she been as close as she was now. But that was what made it kind of scary.

He was the object of every girl's affection; handsome, yes, but not really Hinata's type. He was the village heartthrob, and an exceptionally talented shinobi, possibly on par with her genius cousin. Finally, he possessed the Sharingan, an amazing genetic technique he made use of during battle.

He was Uchiha Sasuke.

And he'd seen her underwear.

Blushing furiously, Hinata hid her face behind her white and delicate hands, unsure of how to respond to what he'd just seen. _He saw!_ She thought to herself, shaking her head furiously in embarrassment. _He _definitely _saw them! _However, before she could even say anything, Sasuke casually strolled by as though nothing had happened, but her ears hadn't deceived her. She'd caught what he had said in a low voice as he walked by, the corner of his mouth lifted upwards into a small smirk.

"Nice panda," he snorted before walking away.

Hinata fell to the ground, her entire face flushed red as she covered her eyes.

* * *

"Oi, Kiba! What the hell are you doing here?" Clad only in his green boxers, Naruto yelled the second his eyes landed on the dog-boy of team eight. Kiba had come stumbling out of the trees with a few scratches on his face, wincing as the bright sunlight shone directly at him. He had definitely been in the shade for too long.

"I should be asking you that, moron," Kiba replied while scratching at his face. He slid off his wife-beater, bundling it up before tossing it aside. "Last I checked, this was _my_ secret place."

"Like hell it is!" Naruto retorted. "I found it first!"

"No, _I _did," Kiba growled.

"NO YOU DIDN'T!"

"YES I DID!"

Both boys were now face-to-face, growling at one another. Another voice spoke up, only to break them apart.

"What are you doing, Naruto?"

Upon hearing the voice, Naruto's face immediately lit up. "Sakura-chan!" he cried, running towards said girl to throw himself at her, only to be punched head-on in the face. "Ow…"

"Hello to you too," she growled, a small vein throbbing near her forehead. "Anyways," she began, tossing back her glossy, pink hair. "Have you seen Sasuke-kun?"

"The teme?" Naruto scoffed bitterly. "Last I saw the bastard, he left to go eat or something. That was about an hour ago though."

The pink-haired beauty shook her head in disbelief. "Ugh, I can't believe I lost sight of him like that. I could've sworn I saw him near this area though…" she murmured to herself. She shrugged her shoulders. "Oh well, I'll just look for him again. Naruto, you're coming too."

"Eh?" the blond whined. "Why do I have to help you look for that teme, Sakura-chan? I'm already busy swimming here-"

The loud cracking of her knuckles was more than enough to get the blond back into his dark-blue jeans. Slipping on his orange shirt, he followed after a very pleased and smiling Sakura, his face blue with fear.

Kiba scratched the back of his head. For a girl, she was quite violent, and honestly, Kiba wasn't too used to girls like that. He was used to shy and quiet girls, like Hinata. Speaking of which… his eyes searched the clearing of the river. Where was Hinata? Shino too.

Shaking his head, the Inuzuka sighed. "Don't tell me they got lost…?"

* * *

Sasuke walked through the dense forest, enjoying the cool shade the tall trees had provided. A warm breeze swept through his damp hair, his irritation returning.

After successfully ditching Sakura earlier, Sasuke had decided to take refuge at Naruto's so-called, 'secret place.' Honestly, how gay could the dobe get? While wandering aimlessly through the forest, however, Sasuke had come upon a certain Hyuuga. A girl who'd been in his class for the past few years. A girl he'd never really noticed until last year. Her silk-like hair and lavender eyes would come-and-go within his mind. He thought about her on occasion, but not all of the time. He had a life too, as hard as it was to believe, and didn't want to use most of it by thinking about her.

However, his recent meeting with her had been a shocking (though he didn't show it), if not an amusing one as well. He fought back the urge that twitched at his lips, thinking about the blush that had stained her face a horrible red earlier. The way her big eyes looked, glistening with tears of embarrassment, her pink lips quivering. She was so… Shaking his head to clear his thoughts of her, his face returned to its' usual, impassive expression. The Uchiha did not want to get a nosebleed over a girl he'd just seen, especially one who wore panties with a cute panda on the back.

No, Sasuke did not think the Hyuuga was cute at all.

* * *

"Mou, Sakura-chan!" Naruto cried, tears streaming down his face. "How many times do I have to do this? My chakra's almost gone already!"

Sakura slapped him in the back of his head, earning a cry of pain from the other boy. "As many times as it takes," she growled, frustrated that her experiment was only about sixty-percent of the way. The other forty-percent left her confused. What frustrated her even more though was the fact that Tsunade had refused to help her. Her reasoning had done little to assuage the eager Haruno.

"_Sakura, you're an amazing kunoichi with even greater potential. You're also my favorite student, so I want you to remember that. But remember this as well, you are still far too young to even think of creating a jutsu with no purpose."_

"_But sensei, the art of seduction is essential to a female ninja in training, isn't it?"_

_The Godaime waved a hand. "Why would you want to make yourself sexier? You're already pretty enough as it is."_

"_Thank you for the compliment, but-!"_

"_Unless," Tsunade began, her eyes glinting like that of a hawk "this is all for a certain Uchiha that you have certain affections for." _

_Sakura gulped. "Er, well…that is…"_

"_Even more of a reason to not help you," The blond woman finished, crossing her arms over her large bust. She tapped her fingers impatiently against her arm. "Anything else you want to add on to that, my precious student?"_

_Sakura turned her head away in fear, rotating her entire body along with it. "N-No, that'll be all, thank you!" She bowed quickly before dashing out of her masters' office, leaving behind a trail of dust._

The pink-haired kunoichi shuddered at the memory. If her master were to find out what she'd been doing over the past two months, her head would surely be served on a silver platter, especially after said woman had forbidden her against doing it.

_Sorry, sensei, but this is the only way I can win Sasuke-kun's heart!_

"Again!" She demanded, prompting Naruto to repeat the transformation technique. So many times, she'd tried so many times to transform into a bustier and sexier version of herself, but to no avail was able to do so. The result outcome was a handsome, male-version of herself. Far from what she'd wanted, that is, unless Sasuke was… she blushed just thinking about it.

"I need to stop that…" she muttered to herself.

* * *

Hinata glanced around at her surroundings, unsure of where she was now at the moment. After her encounter with the Uchiha earlier, Hinata had aimlessly wandered into the thicker part of the forest, too depressed to notice.

She clasped her hands together in front of her chest and calmly told herself to not panic, no matter how much she tried to deny it. Denying the truth, however, would not help, nor solve anything.

She was, without a doubt, lost.

_M-Maybe I can find my way out if I use the Byakugan. _

Performing the necessary hand seals to activate her blood-line technique, Hinata jumped up onto one of the thick trees, using the branch as a tower to help her scout the entire area for any signs of another being with chakra flowing through them, hopefully a fellow shinobi. When her eyes landed on two people, she eagerly rushed toward them, jumping from tree-to-tree in the process.

Little did she know what would be awaiting her.

* * *

Much to Sasuke's surprise, and annoyance, he'd involuntarily stumbled out into an open clearing, only to see the last two people he'd been hoping to avoid.

Sakura had turned her head to stare at him, her gloved-fist paused in midair. Naruto sat on the ground, peeking at Sasuke from beneath the arms he'd been using as a shield. Both watched as the Uchiha stood there, waiting for him to say something. The dark-haired shinobi, however, merely turned on his heel to walk back to where he came from.

There was no way he was going to get involved in whatever the hell it was that they were doing.

He stopped in his tracks and grumbled a series of curse words as Sakura sweetly cried out to him "Sasuke-kuuuun~!"

Fed up with running away every, _freaking _time she came near him, Sasuke decided to face her and asked through gritted teeth, "_What_?"

Blushing, she looked up at him with a shy smile. "Um, I was wondering. Do you think maybe you could stick around to check out this new jutsu I came up with?"

He relaxed a bit at this. That was all she wanted? To just show him a jutsu? He thought about it for a moment before muttering a "Fine." But if she so much as showed a sign of wanting to attack him affectionately, then he was out. Crossing his arms over his chest, Sasuke stood in place, tapping his foot impatiently. "Well? Show me," he demanded. "I don't have all day, y'know?"

She seemed flustered as he said this, but immediately regained her composure in a matter of seconds. Sasuke could've sworn he heard her muttering something to herself, but couldn't make out her exact words. They went along the lines of "…not work," or "I hope I do this right…"

She coughed. "A-Alright then, here I go!"

Putting her hands together, Sakura perfectly executed the hand seals she'd memorized over the past few weeks. All that was left to rely on was the outcome. And hopefully, it would work. Just as she was about to finish up though, her senses forewarned her of something coming from behind. She turned around just in time to see someone heading straight for her. Her eyes widened however once she saw who it was.

"H-Hinata?!" _What is she doing here?_

"W-Watch out!" the other girl cried.

Using both her arms to block an oncoming Hinata by default, Sakura gasped in realization at what she'd just done. The palm of her hands coming into contact with the Hyuuga's stomach, Sakura watched in horror as the other girl became a poof of smoke.

Everyone remained still for the first few seconds. Naruto was the first to jump up. "Wh-What the hell just happened?" he exclaimed. Sakura cried inwardly as she chewed nervously at her bottom lip, hoping that nothing bad would come out of this. Sasuke merely stood there, stunned as well at what had just occurred.

The three stood, waiting for the smoke to disappear. When it finally did, however, they saw no Hinata, only a small girl with a sundress too big for her hanging off of her shoulders. She rubbed at her eyelids with her small hands, blinking rapidly before looking up at Sasuke with big and curious eyes. She stared at him for a few seconds before breaking out into an angelic smile.

Lavender eyes met obsidian orbs.

"Onii-chan," she smiled, her sweet voice filled with love.

Sakura's left eye twitched a few times before she fainted.

* * *

**A/N: Well, how was it? Did you like it? Hate it? Or was it okay? If this first chapter interested you even a bit, then I suggest you hit that review button, por favor! Ah, and yes, about my writing style, I did change it. Change is good and all, but I like doing things the original way as well. If you guys prefer this or first person, then please tell me. **

**Oh yeah! I got a new computer too! So think of this story as a celebration for my new computer. Yay! **


	2. I Like You Oniichan

With her cherub-like face, rosy cheeks, and big lavender eyes, she went beyond a simple word such as cute.

The girl was downright adorable.

Sasuke blinked rapidly in confusion at the little girl before him. Was he seeing things or had the Hyuuga heiress really transformed into a child? It had only been hours ago when he'd last seen her, taller than she was now with her womanly curves and all.

"Oniichan," Hinata smiled, tugging gently at the hem of his shirt as he stood in Sakura's home, pondering to himself as to why he was even here in the first place.

Naruto made himself at home by lounging on the couch in Sakura's living room. The blond watched as the little girl attempted to climb Sasuke, clinging onto his leg desperately before sliding down to the carpeted-floor on her rear end. She frowned and stood up, trying once again to climb the Uchiha, only to fail. Naruto forced himself to keep quiet at the sight before him. Angering an already annoyed Sasuke was not a good idea, and angering Sasuke meant angering Sakura.

"Don't climb me," Sasuke frowned.

"No?" she asked, blinking up at him in wonder. Her lips formed a small o of the no she'd just said.

Sasuke nodded. "Be a..." he forced the words out "a _good_ girl and sit down." Sounding like his mother was the last thing he'd wanted to do. Holding her by her shoulders, he turned her around and pushed her, without restraint, towards a shocked Naruto, who in turn immediately sat up, alarmed by the Uchiha's blunt action.

"Oi, Sasuke, don't push her like that, she's just a kid!" Naruto growled. He caught the stumbling Hyuuga just in time for her to fall into his arms. Picking her up, Naruto set her down on the couch beside him, turning his body around a bit so that he could face her properly. Pointing to himself, the blond grinned at her and asked, "Hinata, do you remember me?" She blinked at him before shaking her head. "No? It's me, Naruto." She said nothing as he waited for her to respond. Feeling a bit dejected, Naruto hung his head in disappointment. Was this little girl really the Hinata he considered a good friend? She had been so kind and spoke to him politely, always addressing him with the suffix, 'kun' at the end of his name. Whenever he was hungry and had no money for ramen, she would kindly offer to pay for him, rejecting the idea of receiving anything in return. But most of all, whenever he felt sad about Sakura's rejection of his advances towards her, she would appear to console him, offering kind words that always lifted his spirits.

It saddened Naruto to think that the little girl before him had no memory of him.

Just as he was about to get up from his seat to go to the bathroom, small hands gently cupped the sides of his face. Small, soft, and warm hands. His cerulean-blue eyes met her larger ones. Tilting her head to the side, she smiled and said "Naruto…nii-chan?"

Naruto felt a torrent of warm heat overflowing from within his heart. Her addressing of him had been different, but cute nonetheless. He had plenty of children in the village calling him 'Naruto nii-chan,' but the way she'd said it had been out-of-this-world to him, like a father hearing his child say their first word. Beaming, he picked Hinata up by her small waist and spun himself around with her, earning bell-like giggles from the Hyuuga.

Sasuke merely snorted and looked away, feeling somewhat annoyed at their little bonding moment. What annoyed him the most however were the several hearts floating about the two. Naruto was in his brother-like mode, playing with Hinata as though she were his sister. It was funny, really. If one took into consideration the feelings shy Hinata held for the hyperactive blond, which he was still not aware of, nor would he ever be. If she had even a bit of her memories left with her, she would've been blushing like mad instead of laughing with the stupid blond.

Seating himself on the far right-side of the couch, Sasuke leaned back and closed his eyes, wondering when his former, pink-haired teammate would emerge from her room.

As though she'd read his mind, Sakura came out from her room, looking more weary than she had earlier. The kunoichi sat down on the couch beside Sasuke, watching as Naruto played with the adorable Hyuuga. "You've got to be kidding me," she groaned, smacking her forehead.

Crossing his arms over his chest, Sasuke raised an eyebrow at Sakura. "Let me guess, you can't return her to normal, can you?"

Sakura forced a smile on her pretty face. "I've tried everything I could think of to cancel out the jutsu, but nothing seems to add up properly. And even if I did try something, I can't guarantee her returning to her normal self."

"What do you mean by that?" Sasuke asked, slightly interested.

Chewing on her bottom lip, Sakura stared at her love thoughtfully before answering him. "In short, there's a chance that she could come out deformed looking, or something like that."

With Hinata sitting on his shoulders, Naruto turned around to face Sakura. "Why don't you just ask Tsunade baa-chan for help? She could probably turn Hinata back to her normal self."

At the mention of her sensei, Sakura eyes went wide in horror as she cried "NO!"

Both boys blinked at her in surprise while Hinata played with Naruto's golden locks of hair, burying her face into his soft spikes. Blushing, Sakura coughed, forcing herself to calm down. "I mean… we shouldn't bother Tsunade-sama, she already has her hands full with something else anyways."

"Like what?" Naruot asked.

Sakura scratched the back of her head, trying to come up with an excuse to give the questioning blond. "Er…she's…uh…out. On business," the pinkette finished lamely.

Naruto tilted his head to the side in confusion. "Are you sure, Sakura-chan? If you want, I could go and check on-"

"N-N-NO!"

Both boys blinked at her once again, confused by her strange reaction at the mention of the Godaime.

Naruto averted his eyes to the side before focusing his gaze back on her. "Uh, okay. So, what should we do then?" the blond asked while lifting Hinata off of his shoulders to set her gently on the floor.

Sasuke shrugged his shoulders and leaned back into the padding of the couch, one leg crossed over the other. "_We_ don't have to do anything. As far as I'm concerned, the only one clearly at fault here is Sakura."

Said girl hung her head low in disappointment. "I…I didn't mean to, Sasuke-kun," she pouted. "It was an accident…"

The Uchiha coolly replied, "Shouldn't you be apologizing to someone else?"

Standing up from her seat on the couch, Sakura walked over to stand in front of the Hyuuga, bending down so that they were at the same eye-level. With her arms on her knees, the young woman forced another smile. With Hinata right in front of her, it was more than enough to increase the guilt she felt towards the girl within her conscience. "I'm sorry, Hinata. I never meant for this to happen to you." _What am I doing? She probably doesn't even understand me._ Reaching out with her bare hand, Sakura patted the girl lightly on her small head, her fingers coming into contact with silky-soft tresses of indigo-hair. "I'll think of something to return you to your normal self though, okay?" _I'm just not sure it'll happen anytime soon._

Sighing, Sakura was about ready to stand up, that is, until Hinata's small hands cupped the sides of her face gently. The Hyuuga gazed into Sakura's eyes, innocence reflecting from within her own pale ones. Sakura felt her breath hitch in her throat as she stared at her. Was Hinata mad? Had she really understood what the older woman had said after all? Sakura watched her, waiting as Hinata continued to stare at her with an intensity unfitting for a girl with her looks. After a few seconds, the Hyuuga finally broke out into her trademark angelic smile, caressing Sakura's face gently as she said "Don't be sad. I like Sakura nee-chan. Sakura nee-chan is very pretty when she smiles a lot, so smile more, okay?"

Sakura felt her eyes brimming with tears as she pulled Hinata into a tight hug, unconsciously rubbing her face harshly against the other girl's soft cheek.

_SHE'S SOOOO ADORABLE!!!! I'd always known she was cute, but with her being a kid and everything-it changes her cuteness completely!_ Sakura cried inwardly, lifting the Hyuuga up to pull her into an even tighter hug. Naruto watched in silent jealousy as Sasuke rolled his eyes in annoyance.

Pouting, Naruto held his arms out towards Hinata. "Sakura-chan, I wanna play with her too!" he whined.

"Stupid! You already played with her! And don't deny it either, I saw you!"

"But Sakura-chaaaan~!"

"I already said no, Naruto!"

Standing up from his seat, the Uchiha sighed. He had better things to do than hang around his bickering teammates. Walking towards the front door to leave, Sasuke stooped down in the hallway to put on his sandals. After strapping them on properly, he stood up and stopped short upon seeing the person before him, blocking the exit.

"Alright then, let's ask Hinata who she wants to play with!" Naruto suggested.

"Fine then," the pink-haired kunoichi huffed. "Hinata-chan," Sakura began sweetly, tucking a lock of stray hair behind her ear "Who do you like better, me or Naruto nii-chan?"

"You like me better, right Hi…na…ta…?"

Both stopped short, taking notice of the fact that the young Hyuuga was nowhere to be seen. They glanced around the living room, and yet, there was still no sign of her.

"GYAAAAAAAH! WHERE'D SHE GO?!?!?!"

"NARUTO, YOU IDIOT! HOW COULD YOU LOSE HER LIKE THAT?!?!?!?"

"YOU WERE THE ONE HOLDING HER SAKURA-CHAN, DON'T BLAME ME!!!"

"I'M BLAMING YOU BECAUSE YOU'RE STUPID!!!"

"Oi, how long are you two gonna keep fighting?"

Fighting the twitch near his eye back, Sasuke decided to speak up before things got even more out of hand. In short, distract Sakura from beating Naruto up into a bloody pulp. It wasn't that he cared or anything, in fact, he welcomed the very thought of it. One problem, however, kept him from allowing it.

"She's right here."

Hinata clutched desperately in fear at the hem of Sasuke's shirt, tightening her hold as her pale eyes began to well up with tears. "D-Don't fight," she sniffled. "P-Please don't hurt each o-other. I l-like both of y-you."

The blond's heart sank at the very sight of her crying face. Meanwhile, Sakura had already turned to stone, her mouth gaping open as her eyes laid on Hinata.

"She's scared," Sasuke said matter-of-factly. "If you wanna keep her here, then maybe you should stop it."

Both nodded furiously as they surrounded the sniffling Hyuuga, trying their best to console her.

"We weren't fighting, Hinata," Naruto began. Frantically, he slipped an arm around Sakura's shoulders. "L-Look! See? Sakura-chan and I get along just f-"his sentence however was stopped short as a sharp blow to his chest was swiftly delivered by a very pissed off Sakura and her elbow.

Despite the throbbing vein near her forehead, Sakura gave Hinata the smile of a goddess. "He's right, Hinata-chan. We were in no-way whatsoever fighting with each other."

Hinata sniffled, still holding tightly onto the hem of Sasuke's shirt. "R-Really?"

_Oh my God, just look at how cute she is!_ Inner-Sakura squealed to herself. _I could just eat her up!_ "Really," she smiled. Gently, she extended a hand to the young girl. To her surprise though, Hinata shook her head. "Eh? A-Are you still mad at me?" Sakura asked, concerned at the rejection she'd just received. Hinata shook her head. "Th-Then what is it?"

Shyly, the little Hyuuga looked down at her small feet and blushed, moving herself so that she could hide behind Sasuke's leg, much to the Uchiha's dismay. "Um…you asked me earlier who…who I like better," she spoke softly, casting her eyes downwards every few seconds before meeting Sakura's gaze. "And…I like both you and N-Naruto nii-chan, but…the one I like the most is…is…"

"Who is it?" Naruto suddenly asked, his voice eager with anticipation. Sakura growled in annoyance at his quick recovery. She apparently hadn't elbowed him hard enough. "It's me, right?"

"Sasuke…Oniichan," she murmured, her blush worsening as she continued to hide herself behind Sasuke's leg.

"EHHHHHHHHH?!" Naruto and Sakura both cried in unison. Of all the people-!

_She likes Sasuke-kun? I don't get it! Why? _She turned to Naruto for confirmation that what she'd just heard wasn't true, only to find the blond face-up on the floor, his entire face white. Sakura decided to rack her brain for any possible answer. For Hinata to like Sasuke of all people, well, it just didn't make any sense to her at all!

An instant flashback from earlier suddenly floated through the confused kunoichi's head.

The very first person Hinata had seen upon opening her eyes after the transformation had been… Sakura gasped. That certainly explained everything. It was no wonder she referred to Sasuke as 'Oniichan' while she called Naruto, 'nii-chan.'

_That's probably why she likes Sasuke-kun. That has to be it!_ Turning to Sasuke, Sakura began to explain to him what might've caused Hinata's sudden affection for him.

"You mean…" the Uchiha began.

"Yeah! The first person she saw was you, so she probably thinks of you as her mother! Er-I mean father! Like a newborn baby chick!"

Sasuke groaned and slapped his forehead. "Are you serious…?"

* * *

**A/N: Yeah, weird reason, but it was all I could think of. Cute though, right? **

**If you've read this far, then review please!**


	3. Take Me With You Oniichan

It didn't surprise Sasuke in the least that one little girl could cause him so much trouble.

Upon sniffing her out, the rest of team eight had found their missing member, only to find her in the form of a child at Sakura's house.

"This is a joke…right?" Kiba asked wearily after having taken about an hour or so to stare at his mini-sized companion. He bent down to study the little girl and sniffed her again, motioning for Akamaru to do the same. The large dog complied with his master's orders and sniffed her for a few seconds before bending down so that he could nuzzle his large head against Hinata's small face. She in return giggled, petting his furry and white head. Akamaru whined and licked her, earning more bell-like giggles. Kiba sighed.

She was without a doubt, Hinata.

"I don't believe this," Kiba muttered to himself, shaking his head. He glared at all three members of team seven, his canine-fangs visible. "What the hell did you guys do to her?"

Shino stood in place, remaining perfectly still as he stared at Hinata. Unknown to the others, however, he was feeling _really_ guilty at the moment.

"I had nothing to do with it," Sasuke replied coolly, hands in his pockets.

Kiba turned to Naruto, who in turn shook his head. "It's not me."

After turning to Sakura, the kunoichi froze up, her hair standing on end as Kiba directed a _very_ cold glare in her direction. Eyes narrowed, he repeated "What. Did. You. Do. To. Her?" through gritted teeth.

Sakura searched through her mind for a reasonable answer, but found none. There was no reasonable answer for the type of situation they were in, Hinata to be exact. Scratching the back of her head sheepishly, she began with "Well, you see…" and told the story as it had gone.

Half-an-hour had passed by the time she'd finished. "…and that's why she's a little girl." Motioning for Hinata to come over to her, the little girl did so, the soft sound of her footsteps interrupted as Sakura picked her up and grinned. "Cute though, isn't she?"

"She is, but that's beside the point," Kiba growled. "What are we supposed to do now?"

"About what?" Sakura blinked.

"HINATA!" He roared. Pulling at his locks of brown hair, Kiba let out a howl of frustration and fell to the floor on his knees. "Do you have _any _idea what her dad and Neji are gonna do to us?" His face turned blue at the thought of the Hyuuga prodigy. Over the years, the boy had grown a sister-complex of sorts towards Hinata, doting on her the same way an older brother would. He was also one of the other reasons as to why Hinata remained oblivious to her many suitors in the village.

Shino continued to remain silent, staring at the child-version of Hinata as the guilt ate away at his conscience. Had he gone with her at the time…Just thinking about it drove him further into despair, though he didn't show it on his face.

Sakura tried to put on a reassuring smile while setting Hinata down. "Eh? Don't worry about them, I'll think of something. But in the meantime, make sure you don't tell anyone else about this, okay?"

"Why?" Kiba frowned. "I don't see any harm in letting anyone else, aside from her family, know. If there's someone out there who can help her, then I'm all for it."

"Like I said," Sakura spoke through clenched teeth "I'll change her back to normal once I figure out how to."

"Why not ask Tsunade-sama then?" Shino spoke up.

Everyone turned their eyes on Shino, who had been quiet up until now. Kiba's eyes went wide at the sight before him. "Oi, Shino! What are you-?"

"She wanted me to pick her up," the other boy calmly stated while struggling to keep Hinata from taking off his sunglasses. "I only did what she asked."

"Shino nii-chan," Hinata said in the sweetest voice he'd ever heard "why do you cover your eyes?"

Despite his inner-turmoil that longed to squeeze the little cutie to death, Shino hid it and replied "I like wearing them. My sunglasses I mean."

"Sun…glasses?" the Hyuuga asked. She stared at them for a bit before beaming, rather shyly, "C-Can I wear them too?" Shino slowly nodded once, prompting Hinata to remove his sunglasses and place the large shaded-spectacles over her own eyes. They were too big for her head and tilted off on one side, barely hanging from her small ear. She grinned adorably at Shino, revealing two perfect rows of small white teeth. "They're really big," she commented.

Everyone, but Sasuke, all simultaneously thought about how adorable the Hyuuga was. Hearts were literally floating around in the air from the others, and the Uchiha had to wave his arm about to get rid of them.

Not wanting Hinata's teammates to find out the real reason why she was keeping this a secret from the Godaime, Sakura quickly explained to them again that she was currently out on business. Kiba eyed her suspiciously.

"What kind of business?"

Sakura quickly came up with another lie. "The kind that she can't even tell _me_." She snorted inwardly and put on a triumphant grin. _How's that for solid?_

Kiba's eyes narrowed as he opened the window, one foot up on the sill. "I don't believe you. I'm gonna go check first," he stated before leaping out the window and disappearing within a poof of white smoke.

_NOT SOLID ENOUGH!_ Sakura cried inwardly to herself.

Kiba returned in a few seconds with a frown, hopping down from the window and onto her floor. "You're right, she really is gone. Shizune-san even said that she doesn't know when the old lady's going to come back!" He sighed. "Oh well, looks like we'll have to wait."

Sakura cheered inwardly as she cried tears of relief. _Is this God's way of assisting me?_ Luckily for her, the Godaime really was out of town. And as for her luck, she felt confused, but happy nonetheless. "See? I told you, didn't I?"

"Oh God, what am I gonna _do_?" Kiba groaned. Hinata had been his and Shino's responsibility for the afternoon. For them to return her to her family in the current state she was in…well, it made him shiver just to think about it.

"How many times will I have to repeat myself?" Sakura huffed, hands on her hips. "I said I'd take care of everything, didn't I?" She walked over to Shino, who still held Hinata with hearts floating above his head, and patted her rosy-white cheeks. "All _you_ have to do is make sure that no one else finds out about this." Excluding Sasuke, she narrowed her eyes at the rest of the boys. "Are we clear on that?"

While Naruto gulped in fear and nodded, Kiba inwardly stuck his tongue out at her, not wanting to get beaten up, and merely grunted in response. Shino nodded as well, allowing Hinata to slip his sunglasses back on for him. After properly adjusting them so that they sat on the ridge of his nose, Hinata clapped her hands in delight, smiling a contagious smile that made everyone else in the room smile, all except for Sasuke of course, who was by this point annoyed and wanted to go home.

Stretching her short and small arms, Hinata yawned. She sounded and almost looked like a kitten as she mewled, rubbing at her eyelids sleepily. Sakura glanced at the clock and smiled, holding out her arms for Hinata to climb into, which the Hyuuga did, burying her face into the kunoichis' soft and warm chest. Gushing inwardly, Sakura held her close. _How cute!_ Wanting the little girl for herself, she decided to chase everyone out. "Okay, you guys can go home now. Hinata's tired," she said, waving her hand dismissively at the boys. There was no point in asking Sasuke to stay since she knew he wouldn't want to. "She can stay with me," Sakura smiled lovingly, her maternal-side showing. "I'll take care of her."

"You will?" Kiba asked. Sakura nodded. He sighed in relief. "Thank God." He then shot a glare at Naruto before proceeding to Sasuke. And then back to Naruto again.

"What?" The blonde asked.

"Nothing," Kiba muttered, before pushing open Sakura's window, ready to jump out. "See you guys later!" he threw over his shoulder before disappearing, leaving behind fresh white smoke. Shino gently patted Hinata's head before following after Kiba, leaving team seven alone with the sleepy little girl.

Naruto stretched his arms and yawned as well. "I'll go home too then." He glanced at Sasuke. "You coming, teme?"

The Uchiha scoffed. "You don't need to tell me twice, dobe." As he began to move forward, there was that sense of déjà vu as Sasuke froze mid-step, feeling a small tug at the sleeve of his shirt. Someone was trying to stop him from leaving. Wary, he turned his head around to see Hinata staring at him with desperate, tear-filled eyes. She held out her arms for him to pick her up.

"Oniichan, take me with you," she sniffled, on the verge of crying. Sasuke's left eye twitched as he instantly held his arms out for her to climb into, which she more than eagerly did, resting her head against his chest. The dark-haired teen rolled his eyes. He couldn't stand it when girls did that whole crying bit. Little girls especially. Being raised by his mom mostly during his childhood, he'd learned that it was a bad thing for boys to upset or hurt the opposite sex in any way. It was something his mother had drilled into him as a young boy. He tilted his head back and looked up at the ceiling. After what Sakura had told him, it made sense for the Hyuuga to want to be near him at all times. He knew the feeling all too well.

Deciding not to make a fuss, since Uchiha's never made fusses anyways, Sasuke accepted the fact that he would have to take her home with him for the night. There was no point in forcing her to stay somewhere she didn't want to. He sighed.

Meanwhile, Naruto and Sakura gaped at the two. Sakura, especially, had her mouth hanging open.

"O-Oi, teme, are you really going to take her home with you?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke looked down at Hinata before turning his eyes to the blond, eyebrow raised. "Does it look like I have a choice?"

"Yeah, but-"

"But what?"

"Er…"

Sasuke waited and uncharacteristically tapped his foot impatiently. "_What_, Naruto?"

Naruto scratched the back of his head with his eyes on the floor before glancing up reluctantly at Sasuke. "It's just…I don't know if that's such a good idea."

Now Sasuke was pissed. "What. The hell. Are you. Talking about?" he hissed, careful so as to not disturb Hinata, who had fallen asleep, cradled within his arms. He had no problem carrying her since she was light. What made him uncomfortable though was the fact that he was holding a girl whose underwear he had seen only hours ago, complete with curves and everything, but Sasuke was far from admitting this aloud, however, and continued to glare at Naruto. He had a vague idea of what it was that the blond was thinking, and he had a feeling that he wasn't going to like it one bit.

"She is a kid," Naruto began, "but…she's still Hinata too."

A vein popped near Sasuke's temple as he clenched his fists. If it weren't for the fact that he was holding Hinata, he would've, without hesitation; beat up the stupid, blond idiot. He glared at Naruto. "Do you honestly think I would do something to her? Kid or not, you of all people should know by now that I have no interest in that sort of thing."

Naruto blinked as he processed Sasuke's words. Breaking out into an embarrassed grin, he scratched the back of his head sheepishly and apologized. "Er…sorry, my bad. I guess you're right about that." Naruto jokingly punched Sasuke in the shoulder. "You've probably never even been with a girl before, have you?"

The Uchiha frowned and glanced at Sakura before turning back to Naruto. "I don't want to hear that from you of all people," he deadpanned.

"Oi, what the hell is that supposed to mean?!" Naruto cried. He was back to his usual self, which meant it was time for Sasuke to leave.

He looked over his shoulder at his two teammates and said "You can come and check up on her tomorrow morning." With those last words, the Uchiha disappeared out the front door, leaving behind a fuming Naruto and a very worried Sakura.

With her fists clenched at her sides, Sakura chewed on her bottom lip. _There's nothing to worry about_, Sakura told herself. _I mean, for God's sake, she's just a kid. Just a kid, that's all._

The pink-haired kunoichi repeated the words over-and-over to calm herself down, despite the small voice calling out to her in the back of her head.

* * *

Upon entering his apartment, Sasuke kicked the door shut, while kicking his sandals off in the process. Turning on the lights, he scanned the half-tidy living room. One side was completely clean. The other had clothes strewn about everywhere. He never did have the time to do his laundry.

The walls were a pallid shade of white, with a few cracks on the walls and ceiling. The only furniture he really had was his beige-colored sofa and wooden coffee table, along with a chair that sat by itself in the corner with pants and shirts hanging all over it. His kitchen was decent enough as well. Nothing fancy, but nothing rundown either. He had a gas stove. The sink worked and let out clean water. The cabinets were filled with a few spices for cooking and canned items, and his refrigerator held a week's worth of food. He didn't need to eat a lot, just enough to get by.

Heading for his bedroom, Sasuke pushed the door open and stepped into the dark and cold room. He'd left his blinds open, which allowed the moonlight to shine through and pool itself on his rough and carpeted floor. He walked over and set the Hyuuga down on his bed. She looked so small on his two-person bed. Long eyelashes caressed her face, her lips slightly parted as she breathed in-and-out, her breaths even and almost quiet. Her shoulder-length hair pooled itself around her head, giving off a sheen that the moonlight helped to provide. With her cherub-like face, she was the very picture of innocence. An angel at rest perhaps.

He was suddenly reminded of the young kunoichi he'd seen often around the village. Always with that blond idiot while smiling and blushing. Her lavender, opalescent eyes along with the pearly-white skin she'd kept hidden beneath layers of clothing until their fateful encounter this afternoon. But there was also that too. Her smile. Whenever Sasuke caught her smiling at someone, mainly the blond, her family, or her teammates, he, for some reason, would feel his breath hitch in his throat. Sasuke didn't like it, but he didn't dislike it either. It just…felt weird, and the Uchiha was not used to feeling weird.

Leaning down, he studied her face at close-range. He didn't want to admit it, but she was pretty cute. He preferred her seventeen-year old self though, for reasons he didn't plan on stating. The last thing he wanted to do was to be labeled as a pervert, or worse, a pedophile.

Unconsciously, the Uchiha found himself pushing aside the silk-like hair that clung to her face, his fingers lightly grazing the softness of her white skin. His heart thudded very briefly. Pulling the white covers up over her small form, he quietly walked out of the room, silent, as he shut the door to let her sleep.

_What the hell was that?_

Blushing, Sasuke put a hand over his face, unsure of why he had done what he did.

* * *

**A/N: Hi everyone! Sorry for taking so long again! My occupation with schoolwork lately had kept me from updating weekly like I planned to. Please don't think I'm giving up on any of my stories, cause I'm not. Oh, and another thing. I already have a NEW STORY in mind! I know, right? I'm easily thrown off track, but I can't help it. **

**This NEW STORY of mine will be my first, if it counts, Shoujo-ai/Yuri story, featuring Sakura and Hinata as the main couple. It will be composed of elements resembling other shoujo-ai/ yuri manga/anime. No fantasy or action though. I suck at writing those kinds of scenes. **

**It can be thought of as _The Princess and the Prince_, only with a spin on it. Hinata will be a bit different from the way I usually present her in my stories, but in a good way. **

**If any of you are interested, please tell me your thoughts on it. I may post it this weekend or the next.**

**Thank you for taking the time to read this.**


	4. Good Morning Oniichan

She was always smiling whenever he saw her. Her eyes would widen in joy as her entire face practically lit up, an aura of holiness about her. She would then clasp her hands together in a feminine manner Sasuke found quite endearing, adorable really, and smile with a love practically visible to the whole world. The way her eyes softened upon looking at him, the pink blush painting her beautiful, doll-like face, Sasuke found everything about the girl heart-pounding.

But what got to him eventually was the fact that the Hyuuga had never really been looking at him. Sure, it might've looked like she was smiling at Sasuke from another party's point of view, but in reality, just about everyone knew who had unconsciously captured the white-eyed beauty's pure-hearted affection.

Sasuke didn't think Naruto could be anymore stupid then he already was. Upon seeing her smile for the first time, the Uchiha had fallen for her like a ton-of-bricks. And though he hadn't shown it, Sasuke forced himself to nosebleed inwardly, wondering how a person could put on such a beautiful smile at the mere sight of an idiot. However, what stupefied him the most was that the blond dobe had been unaffected by it, merely smiling in return and greeting her in a loud voice as he usually did.

* * *

For some reason, Sasuke felt like punching Naruto.

The Uchiha woke up the next day with very little memory of what had happened yesterday. Propping himself up on his elbows, Sasuke yawned while scratching the back of his head. He looked around his apartment living room, trying to figure out what had possessed him to sleep on the couch. He hated his couch. It was small and uncomfortable with barely enough room for him to stretch his long legs. Getting up into a sitting position, Sasuke scratched the side of his neck this time, his eyelids halfway opened as he tried to think. It felt like he was forgetting something, something important…

"Oniichan," came a sweet voice.

Alarmed, Sasuke's eyes went wide for about a second as he turned his head to the source of the voice, his mind flashing with images from yesterday. His eye twitched. How could he have forgotten? The Hyuuga heiress was in his home!

A seven-year old Hinata slowly walked into the living room, her footsteps soft as she stopped to stand in front of Sasuke, her arms at her sides. Her pretty, long hair was messed up from tossing and turning in her sleep, with cowlicks flying about everywhere. The white t-shirt she had on hung loosely from one shoulder, revealing more skin than was needed of the little girl. She looked up at him with her large and innocent eyes, smiling shyly, yet with love as she repeated "Oniichan," once again.

Coughing into his closed fist, Sasuke reluctantly reached forward to grab ahold of her shirt. The sudden sound of his door banging open, however, made him freeze as he saw Naruto and Sakura.

The blond and pinkette gaped at him, while Sasuke felt the vein near his temple ready to burst with anger. The position he'd been caught in, and the timing, along with the idiots were all bad luck on his part. He sighed mentally, knowing fully well where this was going from the looks on their faces.

"SASUKE-TEME, YOU PERVERT! WHAT WERE YOU TRYING TO DO TO HINATA?!"

"SASUKE-KUN, HOW COULD YOU?!"

The two continued their banshee cries with Naruto yelling as Sakura literally cried, stream-like tears pouring from her eyes. He had initially planned on ignoring them, but they'd gone too far in annoying him this early in the day, _especially_ in the morning. Sasuke had low-blood pressure, as all beautiful people did, and was not in the mood to tolerate anything his teammates were dishing out at him at the moment.

Reaching for an item close by, the raven-haired teen chucked a shoe straight at Naruto's head, sending him to the floor with a large bump while shooting a glare in Sakura's direction.

"I was trying to fix her shirt," he pointed out in a low voice, barely able to keep himself from beating them both into a pulp, well, Naruto mostly. Sasuke had no intention of hitting a girl unless she was an enemy nin, which left Sakura out…or did it? He shrugged it off.

There was a moment of silence…

"Oh," was their only reply as they stared at the Uchiha, clearly embarrassed.

Naruto immediately stood up and grinned. "Bastard, you should've told us that in the first place!" Sasuke slapped his forehead, causing Hinata to copy him, much to his displeasure.

The little action had Sakura at the Hyuuga's side, gushing about how cute she was as she held the little angel close to her bosom, hearts flying everywhere. The scene between Sasuke and Hinata only minutes ago was completely forgotten about. Glancing up at the love of her life, Sakura asked "Did she just wake up, Sasuke-kun?"

The Uchiha replied "Yeah," before standing up to head to the bathroom. Hinata smoothly freed herself from Sakura's hold, her shorter legs running to catch up with Sasuke, her small hand gripping the hem of his shirt. Annoyed, he looked down at her. "What is it now?" She merely smiled as he sighed. "Do you need to go to the bathroom?" She nodded. He stepped to the side to move behind her and gently shove her forward. "Then go."

The Hyuuga looked down at her small feet, her cheeks glowing red. "Ano…will you…"

Sasuke waited for her to finish, but she merely stood there, her head lowered as she glanced up at him from beneath her bangs, hesitant. "_What_?" he repeated, making no effort to hide the impatience in his voice.

Her face now horribly red, little Hinata squeezed her eyes shut before whispering "Oniichan, w-will you…go to the bathroom with me?"

Everyone went silent at the Hyuuga's words, unsure of how to respond after she'd asked for such a thing so adorably. Naruto's face went white as he stared off into space, his eyes rolling into the back of his head. Sakura nervously chewed on her bottom lip, glancing back and forth between the two as they stood face-to-face.

Perplexed by her sudden request, Sasuke's mouth had fallen open, for about a second before he closed it back up. It was the Uchiha's turn to flush red this time and he did not enjoy it one bit. His cheeks slightly tinted with an alluring crimson that would've had the village girls ravishing him in no time, Sasuke glared at the little girl, his embarrassment obvious to Sakura, and surprisingly enough, Naruto as well.

Sasuke opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He froze. What the hell was he supposed to tell her after she'd asked him like that? It wasn't like he wanted to do it, but he didn't want to make her cry again either. Though he would never admit it, Sasuke had a soft spot for crying females. He blamed his mother.

But her being a little kid wasn't the only problem, rather, it was the person she really was, or had been until yesterday.

No matter how attractive the Uchiha found her older-self to be, there was no way he was going to go into the bathroom with her just because she looked up at him with her big, puppy-like eyes.

It was awkward and as embarrassing as hell.

"Hinata-chan, you shouldn't ask Sasuke oniichan to go with you," Sakura smiled, walking over to bend down in front of the Hyuuga. "If a girl goes to the bathroom, then she should take a girl with her. Boys go with each other."

"Really?" Hinata asked, her eyes wide. "I-I didn't know that."

"But now you do, right?" Sakura asked. Hinata nodded. "Good girl," the kunoichi grinned. "Come on, I'll go with you." She smoothly took Hinata's small hand into her own, guiding her towards the bathroom. Sasuke and Naruto watched as the door closed.

Naruto sighed in relief. "Man, for a second there, I really thought you were gonna go in there with her." He slapped Sasuke on the back and laughed. "Good thing Sakura-chan was here though, right?"

Sasuke didn't want to, but he had to agree with the blond. His pink-haired teammate had saved him from an awkward situation, and for that he was grateful, but he wasn't going to let her know anytime soon. Getting her hopes up was the last thing he wanted to do.

When the girls finally came out of the bathroom, Hinata threw her arms up with a cute grin, and along with Sakura, cried "It's your turn!"

Sasuke blinked. What the hell had that been about? Shrugging it off, he decided to head for the bathroom and wash up. He'd only taken two steps when Hinata called out to him, _again_. Slowly turning his head around, the Uchiha managed through clenched teeth, "_What_?"

"Oniichan, a-aren't you going to take Naruto nii-chan with you?" she asked in a curious voice, not noticing the disturbed look on Sasuke's face as both he and Naruto paled at where this was going.

Sakura smiled sweetly at the Uchiha. "She's right, Sasuke-kun. Boys go with each other, don't they?"

_I'M GONNA KILL HER!!!!!!_

* * *

**Meanwhile in the bathroom**…

"Oi, teme. Don't look over here, okay?"

"Say another word and I'll cut off your ****."


	5. Breakfast Time Oniichan

Neji yawned as he woke up that morning, mentally preparing himself for the daily schedule he would have to fulfill for the day.

The young prodigy slowly climbed out of his futon, eyes glazed over with sleep as he stared off into space, trying to adjust his sight to the bright morning light pouring in from his bedroom window. Pulling his elegantly-long hair back with a hair band he'd borrowed from Hinata, Neji sleepily climbed to his feet, knowing fully well that if he didn't, he would never make it to the bathroom for an ice-cold shower.

Today was the day he'd promised his cousin a one-on-one training session, much to the pleasure of his uncle, Hiashi. The girl was eager to develop her strength in all physical aspects, despite the fragility she put on display. Though many found it suited Hinata best to be a medic nin, Neji knew very well the potential she held as a shinobi. She wasn't as weak as everyone made her out to be, far from it actually. Strength-wise, Hinata might not have been powerful in combat, but what she lacked was easily made up for with her speed and excellent control of chakra.

Removing his clothes, Neji stepped underneath the sprayer, his eyes widening immediately at the icy-water coming into contact with his bare skin.

* * *

Sasuke watched as Hinata poked carefully at the burnt eggs and slice of toast on her plate, her face set into a grimace. Sipping his cup of black coffee, the Uchiha ignored the pleading look she sent him, her lips set into a pout. Though Sasuke felt somewhat bad for her, there wasn't anything he could do about it. Team seven was known for their skills in battle, not the kitchen. And even though none of them knew how to cook, Sakura, much to their horror, had happily volunteered.

It seemed fine at first. She'd gone about the kitchen quite normally in the Uchiha's opinion, properly chopping up ingredients and mixing the eggs along the way. But during preparation, the additional ingredients she'd added hadn't gone unnoticed.

The three had watched as Sakura threw in a shriveled-up stick of some sort, or was it a tail? The pink-haired kunoichi squirted the entire tube of wasabi into the egg mixture, adding two or three spoonfuls of spices to the foul-smelling bowl.

Which was what had led them to their current situation…

Luckily for Sasuke, Sakura had no desire to force him to eat something he declined. The Uchiha had simply stated that he wasn't hungry, and that had been enough for her. Naruto, on the other hand hadn't been let off so easily. His pink-haired teammate had practically forced the blond to taste-test her cooking for her, ultimately sending him to the bathroom.

And here sat poor Hinata, afraid to take even the tiniest bite of Sakura's cooking. Sasuke knew very well why the girl hadn't run away after witnessing the torture Naruto had gone through. Despite her young age, she was still Hinata inside, and the girl was aware that by running away, she would hurt Sakura's feelings.

Sasuke felt his usually cold heart warm a bit at the kindness she displayed even now.

Leaning forward with her elbows on the table, Sakura grinned at Hinata, her face practically beaming as she asked "Ne, how is it, Hinata-chan?"

They Hyuuga gave a shy grin in return, earning a high-pitched squeal from Sakura. Raising her fork, she slowly stabbed at a piece of the burnt omelet, raising it towards her open mouth. While Sakura watched for her reaction with excitement, Sasuke watched in silent pity, praying that she wouldn't have to go to the hospital.

After taking a small bite of Sakura's cooking, both shinobi's watched as Hinata slowly chewed, the expression on her face quite normal as she swallowed it. Smiling at Sakura, she beamed "I-It's delicious, Sakura nee-chan!"

Hearts were floating around Sakura as she stood up, obviously pleased with herself. "Really? If you want then, I can make some more-"

"Sakura," Sasuke cut in, sending her the glare he knew she loved. The Uchiha looked her over once, his eyes settling on her green ones. The kunoichi blushed in turn, unaccustomed to having Sasuke check her out.

"Y-Yes, Sasuke-kun?"

His gaze intense, the Uchiha said "I'm thirsty."

Catching onto the meaning almost immediately, Sakura ran for the front door and called over her shoulder "I'll be back!" Sasuke inwardly shivered, hoping she never would. Setting down his mug of coffee, the Uchiha walked over to stand beside the little girl, her small form trembling as she sat hunched over her plate of inedible food.

"Sick?" he asked her. She slowly nodded her head. Reaching over into one of the kitchen drawers, Sasuke pulled out a packet of medicine, ripping out two capsules to hand to her. "Here, take these. This should help your stomach."

Staring at the capsules in her small hand, Hinata looked up at him with a weak and blue face. "H-How do I take these?" she asked.

Sighing, Sasuke inwardly slapped his forehead. "You've got to be kidding me," he muttered to himself. Picking up a capsule from her hand, he demonstrated by placing it near his mouth. "Do it like this," he motioned.

Hinata tilted her head to the side. "Do you eat it?"

"Yes, I mean-no. It's not something you chew. You're supposed to swallow it."

The Hyuuga kept her head tilted as she stared at him.

Sighing once again, Sasuke held her by the chin and raised her head, placing the capsule near her open mouth. Her pink lips tempted him as he fought back a strange urge.

_She's a kid right now_, he told himself. _Don't let her get to you._

Slipping the medicine into her mouth, Sasuke felt a jolt of electricity as she closed her pink lips around his two fingers. His cheeks tinted with the faintest of red, the Uchiha muttered "You're supposed to swallow the medicine, not my fingers."

As he began to slowly draw back his fingers from her lips, a loud cry of horror startled him as he whipped his head around its direction.

The blond idiot stood there, clutching at his stomach with a very red face, one of embarrassment for his friend perhaps.

"Sasuke-teme, you…you really are a-"

Before Naruto could get anything else out, Sasuke chucked the plate of food at him. Luckily for him, Naruto's mouth had been wide open.

The Uchiha's eyebrow twitched in realization at the misunderstanding he'd once again given his teammate(s). He would have to be more careful next time.

Sipping his cup of coffee, the Uchiha watched as Hinata drank her glass of milk, wiping her mouth clean with the back of her arm.

* * *

**A/N: I'm sorry, I know it's short, but I promise it'll be longer the next time! More Neji too!**


	6. Watch Out Oniichan

"What do you mean she's not here?" Neji raised an eyebrow quizzically at what his younger cousin had just told him. Standing beneath the roof of the veranda that provided plenty of shade for him, the Hyuuga crossed his arms over his chest in a stern manner, waiting for her to answer.

"I mean exactly what I said," replied the twelve-year old chunin. Hanabi effortlessly jumped high before flipping over in midair to strike her target on the tree twenty-five feet away from her with a sharpened kunai. It hit the target perfectly as she landed gracefully on her feet, flipping back her shoulder-length brown hair. Hands on her hips, she frowned. "Nee-chan didn't come home last night."

"_WHAT_?" was Neji's response as his eye began twitching. A dog-like male and insect-infested shinobi came to mind the second those words had left Hanabi's mouth. From what Neji remembered, the former team eight had planned on going out and spending some time together, though he had no idea why they'd chosen to do so during such hot weather.

Biting down hard on his bottom lip, thoughts ran through his mind like a film on screen. He could only imagine what the idiotic duo had done and gotten his cousin in to. The two, well Kiba mostly, claimed to be her 'friend,'(since the other boy barely talked) but Neji didn't see it like that. To him, it was a cover-up in order to get closer and closer to her until she eventually gave in and accepted one of them. He'd seen the way that stupid dog-boy casually draped an arm around the girls' small shoulders, pulling her close as he gave her an affectionate hug. At that thought, a _realistic _scene began to play itself inside the Hyuuga's head.

* * *

"_Goodbye, nii-san! I've decided to elope with Kiba-kun!" cried a joyously waving Hinata as they ran in the opposite direction of Neji. Hinata wore a beautiful, western-style wedding gown with a flowing white veil over her head. She wore little make-up, but the pink blush on her cheeks were obviously natural. _

"_Oi, I promise I'll take care of your cousin, Hyuuga!" Kiba called back to him, donning a black suit and a red tie. His canine fangs were apparent due to the grin on his-stupid in Neji's opinion-face._

_The happy couple ran towards the setting sun with a pink and sparkly atmosphere about them._

* * *

It was all very…shoujo-esque.

LIKE _HELL_ HE WAS GONNA LET _THAT_ HAPPEN!!!

Hanabi had noticed this and rolled her eyes before quickly putting in a few words to help calm down the seething teenager. "Y'know, I'm sure she's staying with them or something. Maybe she was too tired to come back home?"

His fists clenched at his sides, Neji said through gritted teeth "Have those two stopped by at _all_?" Hanabi rolled her eyes again. Her cousin hadn't heard a word she'd said, at _all_. She knew what her cousin was thinking, well-not exactly, but somewhere along the lines of Hinata being taken away or something. Her father was predictable about things like that as well.

Wiping off the sweat from her forehead with the back of her arm, Hanabi watched as the flames of hell consumed her raging cousin. Unlike her older and princess-like sister, Hanabi was a tomboy and considered the strongest of her three-man team, the other two, sadly, being boys.

Thankfully, as far as her father and Neji were concerned, there was no need to worry about the girl since she moved at her own pace and enjoyed sparring with others to strengthen herself. She was a force to be reckoned with if provoked. Being a former student at the academy though had left an impression on everyone, mainly the girls as many of them squealed to her about how cool she was, even to this day.

Yes, Hanabi was indeed a true Hyuuga; calm, cool, and collected during most situations no matter whom or what it was about. She was, however, embarrassed when her cousin dropped his poker face instantly on account of her sister. The same went for her father as well, though neither directly showed it in front of Hinata. They chose to remain neutral around her and watch over her from the shadows, much to Hanabi's horror.

Though her father didn't show it, he _was_ in fact, a doting parent.

And even though her cousin didn't show it, he _did_ in fact have a MAJOR sister-complex.

And to think that they were both well-respected members within the clan, despite Neji being a member of the branch house. The boy was well-recognized for his endless talent as a shinobi.

"No," she sighed, walking over to the tree to retrieve her kunai and place it back into her pouch. Tucking back a lock of her brown hair, Hanabi reluctantly opened her mouth to speak, knowing that her cousin wasn't one to listen when his mind went on a rampage. "But nii-san, I don't think you should-"

Cut off by the sudden burst of wind, the young girl watched as the Hyuuga prodigy immediately launched himself up into the trees before heading off to the other side of the village. Upon seeing that his Byakugan was clearly activated, she threw her hands up in exasperation before heading inside the family compound for a drink.

"I don't care anymore…" she groaned. _Might as well let him do what he wants._

But she did feel sorry for her sister though.

* * *

"Uwaaaah, look at how cute she is!" exclaimed Sakura as she gushed over the various outfits she'd forced Hinata to dress in; though the latter didn't seem to mind since she happily, if not shyly, modeled herself for the pink-haired girl with an enthusiasm to match.

"Ne, ne, I like this one, Sakura-chan!" Naruto said, picking up an outfit that consisted of a blue cap and matching overalls.

Courtesy of Sakura, the kunoichi took it upon herself to bring over a shitload of her old clothes. Sasuke watched with little interest as his idiotic teammates played dress-up with the seven-year old, doting over her as any doting parent would.

And for a split-second, Sakura briefly reminded him of his deceased mother.

Shaking his head, the Uchiha took a sip from the can of tomato juice his female teammate had bought for him earlier, somewhat disgusted by the thought that had just occurred in his mind.

_Ewwww_…

His eyes falling on the Hyuuga a few feet away from him, the Uchiha nearly spat out his drink at the sight of her appearance.

She was wearing a pink and fluffy bunny suit. _Pink_.

Only three words were recognizable in his voiced thoughts at that moment.

_What. The. F*ck? _

"Ah, I remember wearing this as a kid," Sakura grinned. "It brings back so many memories." Her grin softening into a motherly smile, she asked the girl while straightening the ears on the suit "You can sleep in this. Do you like it, Hinata-chan?"

Blushing, the little girl nodded, closing her eyes in relaxation. "It…It's so…warm," she said with a sleepy smile before actually falling asleep.

Sasuke watched as Sakura caught the younger girl in midair, gently lifting her up into her arms. Soft snoring could be heard as Hinata held onto Sakura, burying herself closer to the kunoichi's chest.

"Eh? Why'd she fall asleep?" Naruto half-whispered and half-cried. He held up two colorful outfits. "I wanted her to try these on."

"Baka," Sakura hissed "we have plenty of time for that later." Lowering her head, the young woman nuzzled the tip of her nose against Hinata's marshmallowy cheeks. "It's her nap-time right now."

"Already? But it's only one!" he whined.

Shooting the idiot a glare in order to shut him up, she huffily replied "Children tire out easily, stupid, so of course she'd be tired." Looking over in Sasuke's direction with a sweet smile, she said "I'm going to put her in your room, okay, Sasuke-kun?"

The Uchiha merely nodded before heading to the kitchen for a bite to eat. Luckily for him, Sakura's leftovers had been forcefully fed to an unwilling Naruto. The blonds' stomach, however, was now fine since his discovery of Sasuke's medicine in the kitchen earlier, along with the embarrassing situation he had witnessed Sasuke in.

While reaching for a can of tomatoes high up in the cabinet, Sasuke's cheeks flushed a slight red at the memory of the incident, his fingers recalling the intense warmth they'd been enveloped in while inside the little girl's mouth…

Horror immediately struck him as he realized what he'd been thinking about.

It took all of the Uchiha's strength to keep himself from dropping to the floor on his hands and knees. Leaning over the counter with his head lowered, only one thought came to mind as Sasuke began sweating bullets.

_Am I… some sort of pervert?!_ (**A/N:** **Yes, LOL.**)

* * *

_**Meanwhile with Kiba**_…

"Dammit, Shino!" Kiba cried. "How could you leave me alone, you bastard?!"

The male brunette leaped from roof-to-roof, his arms whipping behind him as he desperately tried to escape a demonic Neji.

"GET OVER HERE AND TELL ME WHERE MY COUSIN IS YOU FLEABAG!!!"

_**Meanwhile with Shino…**_

_As long as it's not me_…

The bug-user straightened his sunglasses before disappearing into the thick forest below.

* * *

Now that Hinata was asleep, Naruto watched with disappointment as his beloved crush affectionately fawned over the Uchiha bastard, who in turn leaned away from her on the couch. She apparently had no one else to give her attention to.

"Ne, Sasuke-kun?"

"Hn."

"What do you think about kids?"

Uh-oh.

"……." Was his reply.

Blushing, Sakura cutely pouted before continuing. "Um…you still want to rebuild your clan, right?"

Naruto knew where this was going. Though he had to admit, he enjoyed the look on Sasuke's face. Sakura's question was a tortuous one for the Uchiha.

But that didn't mean he liked it.

"……."

"I…I don't mind helping you."

"………………"

In fact, he didn't like it one bit.

The blond watched as his friend/rival got up from his seat to go into the kitchen. Probably to get another can of tomatoes or something.

No matter how attractive Sakura was, many of the villagers, the males in particular were afraid of her, for very obvious reasons of course. He was questioned on a daily-basis as to why he continually pursued the violent kunoichi, and Naruto always gave everyone the same answer.

"_Because I like her."_

Whether it was due to stubbornness or his idiotic nature, many automatically gave up on the idiot and stuck with calling him an even bigger idiot. It was true to a certain extent, his idiocy that is, but even the blond had grown up, as had his love for his pink-haired teammate.

Before Sakura could stand up to follow after Sasuke, Naruto held her firmly by the wrist, his bright-blue eyes weary. "Sakura-chan…" He was tired of it. Everything. Exactly what would it take to have her look his way? "…don't…"

Just once would've been fine.

Her green eyes were calm for about a second before bursting into hot flames.

"Don't touch me, stupid Naruto!"

She brought her fist back and tightly balled it before socking him right in the face. Returning to the sweet demeanor she usually kept in front of Sasuke, the kunoichi made her way towards, unknown to her, a very traumatized Uchiha in the kitchen.

Lying on his back with his legs in the air, Naruto rubbed the side of his face and sighed. Her punches were certainly filled with love as usual.

At least, that's how he saw it.

* * *

_**Kiba's POV:**_

"I really don't know where she is!" Kiba cried, tears streaming down his face as he struggled in Neji's grasp. The Hyuuga was literally choking him, and this was _not _how he wanted to die. "She was supposed to be with Sakura, but I went over and no one was there this morning!"

Neji's grip on the front of Kiba's shirt tightened. The brunette paled at the sight of the veins around the other boys' eyes. "What are you talking about, Inuzuka?"

Taking a deep breath, Kiba began explaining. It was probably best to tell him now rather than shock him later on.

_**Ten minutes later**_…

The Hyuuga's eyes narrowed. "Have you gone insane?" his tone was questioning, but what irked Kiba was the slight trace of sympathy he found in the other boy's voice. The guy thought he was crazy!

Jerking himself free from Neji's pale hands, he nodded with his head towards the west side of Konoha. If Hinata wasn't at Sakura's, then that left two very unlikely sources, one of them being the _most _unlikely. Kiba wasn't sure if he wanted it to be true or not, but he was willing to take a chance, just to make sure of his teammate's whereabouts.

"Where to?" Neji glared.

And keep her cousin off his back.

* * *

Thirty minutes had passed by since Sakura brought up the topic of children. Sasuke honestly could not stand it when she did this. For one thing, it was the kind of thing you talked about with your husband. Someone you were eternally bonded and married to, which Sasuke and Sakura were not. And never, had he ever, considered it.

"Y'know, seeing Hinata like this really got me thinking…"

The Uchiha inwardly groaned.

"If I were to," she paused and smiled at Sasuke "get married someday-"

He resisted the urge to bang his head against the kitchen counter.

"I would want a cute little girl like her!"

And on she went.

"Ne, what do you think, Sasuke-kun?"

Never stopping.

"Sasuke-kun?"

She always talked! Why couldn't she just be quiet?

He was just about ready to pull out his hair until he heard his front door slam open. Both shinobis glanced at one another before running into the living room, only to be confronted by a very merciless-looking Neji.

His white eyes aglow, he spoke through clenched teeth, his voice dark.

"Where is Hinata-sama?"

* * *

**A/N: Yeah, I know it's weird. LOL. But this story is really fun to write, so whatever. 3 And I know the NaruSaku part was rushed in, but I felt that I had to add something pertaining to the two. They're too cute to not write about! Ah, and as for Sasuke's secret crush, cliché, yes, but I felt it was necessary for this story, especially since Hinata's a kid. I can't have him falling in love with a kid, now can I?**

**Haha, anyways, next story update will be…**_**The Princess and the Prince**_**. My most popular story, yay!**

**Look forward to it! Oh, and this one too!**


	7. You Shouldn't Fight Oniichan

Sasuke eyed his intruder with a look of disbelief and irritation. Just _who_ the hell did this asshole think he was? Barging into Sasukes' home as if he owned the damn place. The Uchiha was not pleased, especially after the forced entry his teammates had made earlier that morning. Was everyone _trying_ to get on his nerves today or something?

"I **asked** you a question," Neji spoke through gritted teeth. He had a firm grip on the doorknob as he slowly pushed it back, letting in more sunlight than Sasuke would have liked. "Where. Is. Hinata-sama?"

The raven-haired boy cocked his head to the side in a haughty manner, his dark eyes narrowed as he glared at the eighteen year-old male standing across from him in the foyer of his apartment. "Why should I tell you?"

This immediately set Neji off as he marched over to the Uchiha, grabbing him by the front of his dark-blue shirt with balled fists. Both males glared at each other, but from Naruto and Sakura's point of view, it only looked like a competition between two people who clearly did not like each other. The two kept silent, knowing that if they were to try and intervene, well, it would only make things worse. Naruto, the idiot, and Sakura, the cause of the problem.

There was no way in hell they were going to talk, especially with an angry Neji.

"I'll force the answer out of you if I have to."

Sasuke smirked. "I'd like to see you try."

Another glaring contest ensued, which created a very tense atmosphere throughout the apartment. Just when Naruto and Sakura thought they were about to die from the heavy and poisonous tension, soft footsteps padded their way into the living room, followed by a tiny Hinata in pink bunny-suit.

With her hood still on, one ear stood up while the other fell to the side. She rubbed her milky-white eyes with her small hands as she yawned, her expression sleepy.

"Oniichan, is something wrong?" she yawned again, placing both hands over her mouth this time, something most children didn't bother doing. For someone so young, she certainly had manners.

Sakura rushed over to the little girl's side, bending down so that she could pick her up. "Hinata-chan! Why are you awake? You should be sleeping," Sakura admonished gently. Hinata was more than happy to accept Sakura's welcoming arms as she leaned her head against the pink-haired kunoichi's shoulder. She was obviously still sleepy, but was forcing herself to stay awake.

"I…I heard someone call me. And then…I heard oniichan's voice." Her large eyes questioned Sasuke with curiosity. "Oniichan… did you call me?"

Before Sasuke could say anything, the Hyuuga prodigy easily knocked him aside as he dashed over to Sakura, his usually calm eyes wide with confusion.

"This…is this even possible?" Neji croaked. "Hinata-sama, is that really you?"

The little girl blinked at him unperturbed. She tilted her head to the side cutely, causing Naruto and Sakura to swoon. "How do you know my name?" she asked.

* * *

After a thorough and detailed explanation of what had happened, aside from the reason on Sakura's part, the kunoichi finished with a sigh.

A few seconds ticked by before Neji finally stood up from his seat, directing the coldest glare he'd ever given towards Sakura.

"So, what you're saying is that…it's _your_ fault?"

Sakura inwardly shrieked before running for cover behind a very annoyed Sasuke. The Uchiha sighed and rested his chin upon the back of his hand, trying to ignore the fact that she was clinging to him. A bit too close for his taste in fact.

"Don't worry, Neji," Naruto piped up. "Sakura-chan already promised to find a way to change Hinata back to normal." The blond grinned at his female companion. "Right, Sakura-chan?"

The girl turned her head away, practically sweating bullets. "Uh, r-right…"

Meanwhile, Hinata looked comfortable as she sat beside Naruto on the floor. The two were working on a puzzle of flowers that Sakura had brought back from her house. She made Naruto look like the idiot he was by pointing out to him where his puzzle piece should go.

"Wow, you're so smart Hinata!" Naruto praised, tousling her hair with one hand. The little Hyuuga shyly blushed, causing the blond to laugh.

Neji could only stare at his beloved cousin in disbelief. She looked like Hinata, and the tone in her voice was soft like Hinata's, but for some reason, he just couldn't believe it. He didn't want to.

Standing up, the young man approached his cousin, bending down so that their eyes were at level with one another. He studied her for a few seconds before speaking. "Hinata-sama, do you know who I am?"

The heiress shook her head, causing her shoulder-length hair to shake as well, veiling the front of her small shoulders. After waking up from her short-lived nap, Sakura, along with Naruto, had changed Hinata into a sleeveless, pale and yellow shirt, with white shorts beneath.

"I see…" the Hyuuga sighed. Taking her small hand very gently into his own, Neji lowered his head respectfully, causing his locks of brown hair to brush delicately against Hinata's small arm in the process. "I am Hyuuga Neji, your cousin."

"Ne…ji?" she repeated.

"Yes," Neji answered.

"Neji…nee-chan?"

"Yes, Hinata-sa-" All was silent within the Uchiha's living room. Neji paused before raising his head to stare at her, his eyes vacant. Had he heard right, or was he just hearing things? Surely, she couldn't have said what he'd thought she'd said. "I apologize, Hinata-sama, but…could you please repeat that?"

Hinata held her arms out, meaning that she wanted Neji to pick her up. The young man did so reluctantly, but was immediately caught off guard when she suddenly threw her arms around him, embracing him by the neck as she buried her face into his hair.

"Neji nee-chan, your long hair is so soft and pretty!" little Hinata squealed, giggling as she played with it.

While Naruto and Sakura forced themselves to keep from laughing, Neji stood there, his usually pale face paler than usual.

* * *

Through a messenger from the Hokage tower, Neji unrolled the scroll, only to find out that he was being summoned, along with his ANBU team, for a week-long mission through Suna, Kumo, and Kusagakure. Allowing the scroll to snap shut, he tucked it into his back pocket. His eyes were slants as he glared at Sakura, causing the young woman to flinch with fear.

"Be grateful that Hiashi-sama is out in Kusagakure on business. I will not speak a word of this to him so long as you promise to return Hinata-sama back to normal."

An icy chill swept through the room as Neji spoke. "Are we clear on this**, Sakura-san**?"

Paralyzed by fear, Sakura could only nod her head while the rest of her body trembled.

Glancing at Hinata briefly, Neji could only sigh as he disappeared within the poof of smoke, causing Hinata's eyes to widen in amazement at something as simple as that.

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

Chewing nervously at the tips of her nails, Sakura directed a tear-filled stare at the Uchiha, her eyes practically watering.

_Oh boy, this is going to get ugly if I don't do something soon..._

Grabbing Naruto and Sakura by the back of their shirts, Sasuke dragged them to the front of his doorway before opening it to toss them right out.

"You've extended your stay here long enough, so _go home_."

Slamming the door shut, the Uchiha plugged his ears in order to ignore the constant knocking and yelling at his front door.

* * *

Upon the arrival of night, Sasuke glanced upwards at the clock hanging on his wall. He then glanced at the little girl to his left, watching her as she innocently colored in a picture of a butterfly.

_It's still weird though_, he thought to himself. To think that in a decade, the young Hyuuga before him would become such a woman. During their days at the academy, Sasuke had never really paid much attention to anyone. He'd started regretting it only a few months ago.

* * *

_One year ago: _

"_A-Ano ne, Sasuke-kun, are…are you alright?"_

_Glancing up at the Hyuuga from his current position, Sasuke's frown only deepened as he forced himself to sit up, holding onto the bloody mess that was his arm. Long, red slashes marred the Uchiha's pale skin, the stench of blood thick and nauseating. _

_His wounds had been due to his carelessness, and at the moment, he was disgusted with himself._

"_Go find the others," he merely grunted "and complete the mission. We need to return to the village by tomorrow morning."_

_Flustered, the Hyuuga nervously glanced back and forth between Sasuke's wounds and the annoyed look on his face. "I-I'm well aware of that, Sasuke-kun, but y-you're in p-p-pain right now, a-aren't you?"_

_The painful heat in his left arm burned viciously, causing his blood to boil. Biting down on his bottom lip caused the Uchiha to draw even more blood than necessary. And as his vision began to blur, Sasuke could only grimace slightly in pain as he lowered his head, allowing his long bangs to cast a shadow over his dark eyes. _

"_Sh-Should I call for Sakura, or would you rather I-?"_

"_Just go already!" the Uchiha cried, causing her to flinch. The hurt expression on her face did nothing more than to bother him._

_What the hell was wrong with this girl? Why couldn't she just do what she'd been ordered to do? _

_Glaring at her, Sasuke watched as she said nothing and leapt up into the thick forest trees, leaving behind a trail of dust that had flown its way into the Uchiha's mouth. Coughing, Sasuke leaned into the large tree behind him, thankful for its support. Without the Hyuuga there, he could finally rest in peace._

'_The forest is so quiet,' he thought to himself 'unlike that noisy battle from earlier.' He could clearly recall the sounds of clanging kunai hitting one another, the swift sound a katana made when it was unsheathed, and also, the sound of his enemies hacking up blood as he beat them mercilessly, his sharingan activated._

_The soft blades of grass beneath his rough and worn-out hands felt calming. His fingers dug shakily into the coolness of the earth, his body trembling as he struggled to catch his breath. He was losing blood, more than he'd thought was possible. Rivulets of crimson ran down his fingertips and into the brown soil, darkening it further._

_Raising his head to look up at the sky above him, Sasuke watched with fading interest, at how bare and blue it was. He had always enjoyed darker shades, but pale and bold colors weren't so bad either.  
He found them calming, nice to look at. _

_A gentle breeze drifted by, prompting the handsome youth to close his eyes, slowly...slowly until a comfortable darkness engulfed him whole._

_

* * *

_

_It was several hours later when Sasuke finally woke up, startled by the sudden brush of soft hair against his face. His eyes wide open, the Uchiha could only stare at the veil of midnight-blue shrouding the person before him. _

_He opened his mouth to speak, "You…" causing the other party to jump back in surprise, a small "Eeeep!" escaping from her throat. _

_As she raised her head, Sasuke could only glare in annoyance once he saw who it was. "You again? Look, what happens to me should be none of your concern. The mission is more-"_

"_W-WE'VE ALREADY C-C-COMPLETED THE MISSION!" she cried, startling the Uchiha for the briefest of seconds. Sasuke had to admit that even he was stunned by this. The quiet girl he'd known from his days at the academy had actually had the nerve to shout at him. At __**him**__. Was he hearing things?_

"_I-I'm so sorry," she whispered. "I…I didn't mean to…" With her head lowered, Hinata's face was red with shame as she continued applying salve to her teammate's injuries, unaware of the fact that Sasuke was trying to keep from wincing. "I just…please, just let me finish this. I'm almost done." _

_Too tired to push her away, Sasuke let her go about with the medical work. If it hadn't been for the fact that he was in so much pain, he would've bandaged himself up. He watched as she wrapped a thick roll of bandages around his now purple and swelling, bloody arm. He cringed, only to have her apologize profusely for hurting him. _

_The salve she'd used on him had burned, but left a cooling sensation afterwards._

* * *

"Oniichan?"

Startled awake from his daydream of the past, Sasuke locked eyes with a worried-looking Hinata, her lavender-hued orbs shining brilliantly in the bright lighting of his apartment living room. "What is it?" he asked, completely unaware of his soft tone at the moment.

"Are you okay, oniichan? Does your tummy hurt?" she asked, placing her small hands over his huge one in comparison. Her hands felt soft and warm. Sasuke would've been lying if he said he didn't like the way her hands felt on his.

"I'm…fine," he answered, reverting back to his more indifferent state. He slipped his hand from beneath hers and stood up, heading for the kitchen. However, he wasn't as indifferent as people made him out to be since he'd caught the look of disappointment on the Hyuuga's cherub-like face after pulling away from her. He didn't bother with turning his head around and instead asked "You're hungry, right?"

He could already feel her beaming with happiness as she trotted over to his side, grabbing a hold of his shirt as she followed him into the kitchen for dinner.

* * *

**A/N: I apologize for the late update of this story, and to answer every one's question, no, I am NOT dead. I've just been busy these past few weeks, and fanfiction has been hard to get into lately. That doesn't mean I'll quit writing though, lol.**

**Hmm, as for Sasuke and Hinata, their relationship is strange at the moment, yes? Sasuke doesn't want to act on his feelings due to her current state, which makes it just as difficult for him. And Hinata, well, you get the idea.**

**More of their past interactions will be revealed throughout the story, so keep holding on my lovely readers! **


	8. Shopping With Oniichan

"Aww, who is this little cutie~?"

"Hey there, little girl, are you lost?"

"You're not wandering around by yourself, are you?"

"Where's your mother?"

Hinata blinked in return as the group of young women stared down at her, cooing openly about how adorable she was.

"My…mother?" she asked, tilting her head to the side a bit. This only earned her even more noise from the overcrowding women. Head-tilting was a bad idea.

"Aw jeez, I just wanna pinch her cheeks!"

"Look at how soft her skin is. Just like marshmallows!" another giggled.

Even though the women were unaware of it, Hinata was in fact, uncomfortable. She however was aware that running away would be considered rude. Trying to look past the women, she searched the surrounding area for a head of spiky black hair.

_Oniichan_…_where are you?_

She was surprised when one of the women grabbed her hand, a friendly smile on her face. "Should I help you look for your mommy?" she asked. There were no ill intentions behind her soothing words, only kindness and sincerity, though Hinata still felt that following the older woman wouldn't be a very good idea.

"N-No, it's okay obaasan, I really-"

"Hinata."

Her ears twitched at the sound of the smooth and familiar voice.

Turning around, Hinata's eyes lit up the second she saw him. All of the women followed her example and turned around as well. They, however, were love-struck the second their eyes landed on him.

Uchiha Sasuke, one of the most handsome boys in the village stood before them in a plain white v-neck t-shirt and navy-blue shorts. His dark hair fell over his smoldering dark eyes as usual, his handsome face glistening with beads of sweat from the summer heat, not to mention the nice amount of pale skin his v-neck was casually revealing.

The young man was a hunk without even trying.

"Oniichan~!" Hinata beamed, overjoyed that he'd finally found her. Now she didn't have to go anywhere with any of the women. She politely excused herself as she made her way through the small group to get to her 'oniichan,' who in all honesty, looked very worn-out. Once in front of Sasuke, she threw her small arms around his left leg, causing the Uchiha to sigh.

"I take my eyes off of you for one second and you suddenly disappear," he frowned.

"B-But oniichan, you were walking so fast," she began to explain "a-and when I fell and looked up, you… weren't there anymore…" she seemed somewhat sad after finishing.

"Err…" Sasuke looked to the side in guilt. He'd been so busy walking that he'd forgotten the miniature version of his crush was right behind him, trying to keep up with her much shorter legs. Placing a hand on the top of her head, he lightly ruffled her silky-soft hair. "Then…I guess I'll have to be more careful next time," he muttered, his face slightly red with embarrassment.

Taking her small hand, he led her away from the group of hungry-looking woman.

_Just walk and don't look back_, he told himself.

* * *

The employees at the clothing shop were more than just friendly. They were downright flirty, especially when it came to Sasuke himself. Luckily for Hinata, the females working there surrounded her with hearts in their eyes, gushing with adoration about how cute and tiny she was. Hm, repeat much?

Today was officially their first outing since…ever.

_We're just here to buy clothes for her, _he calmly told himself. _This does _not _count as a date._

"Are you babysitting for the Hyuugas?" one of the workers asked.

Sasuke felt somewhat annoyed that he was being questioned by a total stranger. There was also the fact that he didn't like to explain himself unless it was absolutely necessary.

He stared at her. She stared back, suddenly embarrassed by the intense look in his eyes.

Nope, it wasn't necessary. And so, he said nothing.

Another employee approached him, only this time, she seemed to have zero interest in him, which was okay in his book. Hell, if she wanted his wallet, then that would've been fine too.

"Is there a particular style of clothing you'd like to see her wear, sir?" the young woman asked.

Sasuke shrugged. He didn't really care, so long as she was comfortable and looked good in it. Seeing her wear Sakura's hand-me-downs made his skin crawl with goosebumps.

"Alright then, please leave it to me," the woman smiled. She gently ushered Hinata into one of the changing stalls before disappearing behind a rack of clothes near the children's section. She returned with an armful of colorful dresses, tops, and shorts.

Sasuke eyed the pile in her arms with bewilderment. Exactly how much did this woman think he was planning on buying?!

"I can assure you that you'll be quite pleased with my choice of clothing," the woman smiled. Pulling aside the curtain, she stepped into the stall, allowing the thin sheet to fall back in place.

About fifteen minutes had passed, and they still weren't done. The Uchiha could not comprehend why it would take so long for her to get dressed when it only took him about a minute.

A few more minutes passed before the woman stepped out, followed by a blushing Hinata.

"It suits her, wouldn't you say?"

She wore a sleeveless and short, light pink dress with a white ribbon holding back her long hair. A black choker was wrapped around her pale and slender neck. Delicate-looking shoulders trembled beneath his stare, as though she was embarrassed to be revealing so much.

"Does…does it look weird on me, oniichan?" she asked in a quiet voice while glancing up at him.

_Hell no!_ "Do you want it?" Sasuke asked, easily keeping a calm façade.

Still blushing, the Hyuuga nodded. Sasuke turned to the saleslady. "We'll take it."

"You have excellent tastes, sir" the woman said while still smiling. "But if you'd like, there are still plenty of clothes left for her to try on. Would you like to see them as well?" she asked.

Sasuke was about to refuse until Hinata stared at him with her pleading and sparkling eyes. "Can I please try them on, oniichan? Please?"

Oh shit.

* * *

"Whoa! What's with all of these clothes?" exclaimed an obnoxious blond.

Sasuke, hard at work on folding _every_ single piece of clothing, glared at Naruto. "Shut up."


	9. Let's Take A Bath Together Oniichan

"_-kun."_

'_Who is that?'_

_The voice reminded him of a gentle spring breeze; calming yet fleeting, feather-light and soft._

"_Sasuke-kun, does it…does it hurt?"_

_He peeled his eyes open to find a very worried looking Hyuuga heiress peering down at him, her pale eyes shimmering with relief._

'_What the-?'_

_Blinded by the light streaming in from the nearby window, Sasuke turned his head to the side opposite of it, too weak to even raise his arm as a shield. His eyes shifted about the room for a few seconds before focusing his gaze back on the Hyuuga, a barely audible sigh escaping his thin and dry lips. "The hospital… " he murmured quietly._

_Hinata nodded her head quickly before bending down to reach for something at her feet. Sasuke watched with little interest as she rummaged through what he assumed to be a plastic bag. When she came back up, the Uchiha couldn't deny the fact that he felt a bit intimidated once he saw the sharp knife in her hand, given his condition of course. It gleamed a brilliant silver in the morning sunlight._

_She seemed hesitant to speak. "Um, S-Sasuke-kun?"_

_Rather than answering her vocally, the Uchiha chose to stare at her, showing the girl that she had his attention since the rest of his body felt somewhat immobile at the moment._

"_Are…Are you hungry?"_

_Silence._

_Without warning, a small growling noise escaped from the Uchiha's stomach, which was enough of an answer for the surprisingly eager Hyuuga._

_Picking up the plastic bag he'd heard her rummaging through earlier, he watched as she set it beside him on the table before pulling out a shiny red apple. Fruit? Was she planning on peeling it for him?_

"_You like apples, r-right?" From what Sasuke could see, she was forcing a somewhat cheerful smile on her heart-shaped face._

_Again, Sasuke said nothing-because he wasn't really sure about what to say. Apple-peeling beside his hospital bed was something he'd expect from Sakura or Ino. Hinata, however, was another story. Why would a girl like her-obviously holding affections for his stupid teammate-suddenly show interest in him? Sasuke cringed inwardly at the passing thought. She couldn't have possibly had a change of heart, could she? But if that was the case, then Sasuke was in even more danger than he thought possible. Two girls on his case were already a handful, but three of them?_

_He mentally shook his head at the terrifying thought. He didn't need another fan girl. And as much as he wanted to run away, his current condition wouldn't allow him to. Figuring that a silent surrender would do, Sasuke sunk even lower into the white sheets of his hospital bed, hoping to hide from her without seeming obvious about it._

_With her Hyuuga eyes, Hinata noticed this of course, but not the intentions behind it. "Oh, your sheets are-" Standing up, she bent over Sasuke to help readjust his sheets, much to his frustration. _

'_So much for hiding...' _

_Sitting back down, the Hyuuga directed a sweet and shy smile at him. "I-I've fixed it."_

_Sasuke rolled his eyes. 'Yeah, thanks a lot.'_

_With a spare bag over her lap, Hinata began to slowly peel the apple, her tongue sticking out from the side of her mouth in concentration. The red skin spiraled down into her lap, which left nothing but the white fruit beneath it. Carefully, the young heiress cut the apple into eight slices, taking care to remove the brown seeds stuck in the center. Once finished, Hinata presented the plate of sliced apples to Sasuke, a light blush coloring her cheeks._

"_Um, I-I was told by Naruto-kun that you l-like apples, so um…I…I hope you enjoy these," she smiled._

_Though Sasuke disliked eating in front of someone he rarely knew, he couldn't exactly dislike the way she smiled at him._

_Without a word of thanks, the Uchiha slowly consumed his plate of sweet fruit._

* * *

Stirred awake by a low humming, Sasuke was surprised to find a curious Hinata looking down at him. Her wide eyes sparkled with joy as she smiled at Sasuke, her demeanor as innocent as ever. Beside her sat an electric fan that did little to cool him down, which Hinata had obviously placed there for him since the last place Sasuke had seen it at had been inside the closet of his bedroom.

_That at least explains the humming,_ he thought to himself. _I'm surprised she managed to find the damn thing though._

"D-Do you feel better now, oniichan?"

Sasuke turned on his side and stared out the open window, loathing the very heat that had reduced him to his current state. The sun outside shone brightly with burning temperatures throughout the day. He'd nearly passed out from a heatstroke upon arriving home. Luckily for him though, he'd been able to crawl up onto the couch before losing conscience.

With the back of his arm draped over his damp forehead, Sasuke turned back on his side to face Hinata, his expression remaining indifferent as usual. The little girl's thoughtfulness was a touching one, and Sasuke, unable to express his thanks properly, showed it to her in a form befitting of him.

Placing a hand on top of her head, Sasuke lightly ruffled her soft and feather-like hair, knowing fully-well just how gentle he was being in front of her.

"Thanks," he muttered.

Her cheeks reddening, she returned his thanks with a short nod while making sure the fan stayed in his direction.

* * *

"Sakura-san," Neji whispered, closing in on the young woman as he kept her pinned against the tree near his usual training grounds. "You've kept me waiting for three days."

Blushing, Sakura turned her head away from his bold stare, unable to properly function due to their close proximity. The shirtless Hyuuga had just finished his training a few minutes ago and was practically dripping with sweat, and Sakura, being the healthy normal girl she was, could not help but glance in fascination at his evenly toned abs. And for a guy, he sure did have nice skin. Nicer than hers probably.

But back to the matter at hand.

"Neji, I-"

With nothing but his silver-white eyes fixed on her, Neji said in a low voice "You what?"

"T-To be honest, I haven't found a cure yet, so-"

It was in that instant that Sakura felt her blood run cold. A blow had landed directly beside her head, leaving her unscathed, the tree, however, hadn't been so lucky. Splinters had flown in all directions, leaving nothing but a cleaned out hole in the center of the tree.

Her face blue, Sakura stared up at the Hyuuga with his menacing aura, freezing as he leaned in closer to stare her in the face.

"You are aware that I'm a user of the Gentle Fist, are you not?"

* * *

"Sakura-chan, what's wrong?" Naruto cried as a frantic Sakura pulled him through the village streets faster than he would've liked. "Where are we going?" He occasionally stumbled as he tripped over his own feet, but with his crush holding onto his arm so tightly, the blond didn't have to worry about falling.

Fast on her feet, Sakura chewed on her bottom lip as they headed towards the only place they could go for more information on jutsu.

* * *

Turning off the stove, the Uchiha removed his apron and hung it up. He turned to a quiet Hinata who was sitting at the table patiently while swinging her legs back and forth.

"Ready to eat?" he asked.

She eagerly nodded.

While Sasuke ladled out their dinner onto two plates, Hinata hopped off of her chair to grab two spoons from the kitchen drawer, much to the Uchiha's surprise.

"You didn't have to get up. I would've gotten it for you." Setting their plates down, Sasuke helped Hinata up into her seat before sitting down himself.

"But I wanted to help, oniichan" she replied meekly, taking a bite of the Uchiha's mildly spicy curry.

Sasuke could do nothing but stare at her. "Oh," was all he said before taking the first bite as well. He continued to stare at her before taking a second bite. A few seconds later came his third and then fourth bite. By his sixteenth bite, Sasuke had gotten up for a cup of ice-cold water, but instead of drinking it, he had splashed himself with it instead, leaning over the sink as he let the drops of water go down into the drain.

_WHY IS SHE DOING THIS TO ME?! _

A few minutes passed by before the Uchina eventually managed to calm himself down. Taking his seat at the table, Sasuke continued eating as though nothing had happened.

* * *

After dinner, Sasuke and Hinata each immersed themselves with their own activity. While Hinata busied herself with drawing and coloring the picture books that Sakura had provided, Sasuke took to reading books on ninjutsu and training techniques. He flipped through the pages rather quickly, only stopping briefly to study a passage or two that had caught his interest.

An hour had passed by the time he finished his book. Setting it down, Sasuke took immediate notice of the little Hyuuga standing in front of him, shyly wringing the front of her sleeveless white dress.

"What's wrong?" Spending time with her had allowed Sasuke to grow accustomed to her habits. She usually wasn't this forward unless she wanted something, which wasn't very often.

"Um, o-oniichan?"

"What?"

"I…I was wondering if," blushing a bright red, the Hyuuga peeked up at him from beneath her bangs.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, prompting her to finish her sentence.

"-if we could take a bath together."

Sasuke stared at her as he always did. Blankly with no trace of emotion on his handsome face. Three seconds had passed as he tried to understand what she had just said. Six seconds passed as he tried to think about what she had said. But when it all came down to it, thirty seconds had passed before the Uchiha was finally able to properly register what it was that she had just said.

Speechless, Sasuke trembled as he got down on his knees to place both hands on Hinata's shoulders. Doing his best to keep his emotions in check, Sasuke forced himself to look her straight in the eye.

"You…do you even understand what it is that you're saying?"

She nodded.

"Can't you take it by yourself?"

She shook her head.

"Why not?"

Blushing, Hinata looked down at her feet as though she were ashamed. It didn't take Sasuke long to realize why she'd even asked in the first place. The poor girl was scared to go into the bathroom by herself.

_I forgot about that_, he thought, feeling slightly guilty for what he'd said earlier.

With a heavy sigh, Sasuke slapped his forehead. "Alright then, we can take a bath together-"

She was practically beaming as he said this.

"-but on one condition," Sasuke frowned.

The Hyuuga blinked at him.

* * *

After wrapping the white towel securely around her body for her, Sasuke pulled off his blindfold, thankful that the steam helped to some extent, hide her young body from his possibly wandering eyes.

"Are you done now, oniichan?" asked an excited Hinata. It was a first for him to see her so impatient. He cracked a barely noticeable smile before ushering her towards the bath stool.

Sitting her down, Sasuke picked up the shower spray and began to spray the girl with warm water. He sprayed her arms and legs before starting on her back. She seemed smaller to him without any clothes on, tiny almost. He peeled her towel down partway to scrub her back with the soaped-up sponge, careful to not let it slip. "You really do need a bath, don't you?" he muttered more to himself than to her.

_Even if she is Hinata, she's still a kid right now_. And Sasuke could honestly admit with absolute confidence that he felt no sexual desire towards her whatsoever.

Pleased to know that he wasn't a lolicon, Sasuke washed out her shampooed hair before sending her to go and soak in the bathtub.

"Are you in now?" Sasuke asked.

"Yes!" she happily replied.

Sighing, Sasuke took his seat on the bath stool this time, making sure to clean himself before joining her. The girl was dead insistent on having them bathe together.

_Well, it should be fine_. _She doesn't have much of a body to look at anyways_.

After rinsing out the shampoo from his hair, Sasuke readjusted the towel around his waist before joining the seven year old, taking a seat across from her.

The Hyuuga smiled upon his entry into the bathtub. "Doesn't the bath feel good, oniichan?"

Sasuke shrugged his shoulders. "Hn."

"I really like taking hot baths, oniichan. But they're even better when I take it with people I like. What about you?"

The Uchiha tilted his head back to stare up at the ceiling. "I prefer taking baths by myself."

"Oh…" the disappointment in her voice wasn't hard to catch onto, so Sasuke immediately corrected himself.

"-but…I guess something like this is okay once in a while."

Silence.

"Oniichan, I love you!" cried an elated Hinata.

Much to his horror, Hinata leaped forward to hug him while losing her towel in the process.

* * *

_**Meanwhile with Kiba and Shino**_…

Upon hearing a scream, Shino looked around him, unsure as to where the voice was coming from. He, along with his teammate, were taking refuge by the river Kiba liked to play in, which was what the other young man was doing exactly at that moment.

"Here, Akamaru, fetch!" Kiba shouted as he threw a five foot branch down the river. His large companion ran after the thick stick of wood, barking as he swam into the deeper end of the water.

Readjusting his sunglasses, Shino asked Kiba "Did you hear that?"

Grinning, Kiba asked "Hear what?" He was having too much fun with Akamaru at the moment to even bother with other things.

Shino sat back down before shaking his head. "No, it's nothing."

* * *

**A/N: Sorry to have kept everyone waiting for so long. I'd like to thank everyone for voting this the one they 'look forward to reading the most.'**

**Oh, and if you're wondering how Hinata went to the bathroom by herself those other times, then this simple explanation should suffice: Sakura visits, a lot. So of course, she'll be there to help escort Hinata to the restroom.**

**You can tell Neji seems a bit restless, right?**

**Other character interactions will come soon, so look forward to that as well! **


	10. Let's Go To Sleep Oniichan

"What? Off limits? What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Sakura cried.

The guard standing by the door to the Hokage's personal study shook his head. "I apologize, Sakura-san, but Tsunade-sama has banned anyone from entering during her absence."

Naruto caught the look of disappointment on Sakura's face and gently laid a hand on her shoulder. "C'mon, Sakura-chan, cheer up! The old lady should be back any time soon, so-"

He was suddenly cut off as the pink-haired kunoichi grabbed him by the front of his orange shirt, her face blue with terror. "You don't understand, Naruto. I don't _have_ time!"

_Now what am I supposed to do?!_

* * *

"Oniichan, oniiichan, are you okay?"

Sasuke peeled open his eyes to find a very worried-looking Hinata staring down at him. Steam and warmth enveloped him completely, his body strangely moist and…bare? Confused, the Uchiha returned his eyes back to the young Hyuuga, trying to discern as to why her hair was so wet.

_Did she spill something on herself?_

Realization hit him like a fat boulder.

Sitting up immediately, Sasuke looked down to realize that he was still naked with only a towel on. He again turned to Hinata, now aware that she was still naked as well, only without a towel.

Frozen, the Uchiha sat there, unable to process effectively. What the hell was God doing to him?!

Sasuke uncharacteristically flinched as Hinata moved forward to approach him, much to the Uchiha's horror. The young man in turn turned his head to the side and scooted backwards. Despite his obvious attempts to keep a reasonable distance between them, Hinata only shortened it more as she moved closer, her young face set with concern.

"Stay back!" Sasuke cried. "I mean it, don't come any closer! If you do, then I'll-!" _Then I'll do what?!_

"But oniichan," Hinata pouted "you're…you're bleeding."

"Huh?" Sasuke reached up to touch his nose. He felt no blood. _So I'm __**not**__ a pervert?_

Hinata pointed out the location. "Here." It was the side of his head.

Sasuke sat there and stared off into space for a few seconds, trying to recall what had happened.

_**Flashback:**_

"_Oniichan, I love you!" cried an elated Hinata._

_What Sasuke dreaded most had actually happened; the girl's damn towel had come off._

_Much to his embarrassment, he did something out of character, something he never thought he would be able to do._

_He screamed. It wasn't the usual scream for a male, but rather something indecent, equivalent to that of a woman almost._

_His parents would've been ashamed, even now in their graves._

_Feeling her bare body latched onto his own, Sasuke inwardly panicked as he tried to gently remove her from him while removing himself from the tub as well. In the process, however, his one foot outside of the tub had caught a bar of soap, causing him to slip and hit his head._

* * *

The memory was somewhat vague, but it was still there. Reaching up, Sasuke touched the side of his head and look down at his crimson-dipped fingers. His turned his eyes back to the still worried-looking Hinata.

"D-Does it hurt, oniichan? You're not gonna die a-are you?"

Tipping his head back, Sasuke let out a relieved sigh.

_The day I die is if I go after you when you're still like this_.

* * *

After exiting the bathroom, the pair emerged clad in matching t-shirts along with a pair of shorts. Staring down at Hinata, Sasuke couldn't help but notice that her hair was still slightly damp. Drops of water slid along the tendrils of her midnight-blue hair, prompting the Uchiha to remove the towel from around his neck and place it on the top of her head.

She angled her head to look up at him with a questioning gaze.

"You need to dry your hair properly or else you'll catch a cold," he muttered.

Hinata beamed in response to this, allowing Sasuke the privilege to witness another one of her earth-shatteringly adorable smiles. "Okay! Like this, oniichan?"

Cracking a barely noticeable smile, Sasuke took the towel from her clumsy and awkward hands, drying her hair for her with a gentleness he currently wasn't aware of at that moment. A somewhat restrained and small chuckle escaped the Uchiha's thin lips. "Stupid, you do it like _this_."

_Once she turns back to normal, she'll probably forget about everything. She'll probably forget that she even liked me too_. It was quite depressing when he thought about it, but Sasuke pushed aside his selfish thoughts. _God, I'm stupid. _

Unknown to the Uchiha, however, a blushing Hinata was gazing up at him from beneath her damp and tangled bangs.

* * *

Hanabi leaned against the post of the veranda, watching as her older cousin demolished the huge boulder sitting in the training grounds of the Hyuuga compound. Pebbles flew in all directions, while one landed daintily beside Hanabi's bare feet. She picked the pebble up and examined it at eye level. Unbelievably pissed off? Check.

"Nii-san, are you alright?" the younger of the two asked. She flipped back her shoulder-length hair casually, fanning herself while she spoke. Despite it being evening, the heat wave still hadn't cooled down. "You haven't been yourself lately."

"What are you talking about?" Neji managed through gritted teeth. A small beetle crawled in front of him, prompting the young man to stomp on it without hesitation. "I'm fine."

_You're obviously not!_ Hanabi could only stare in disbelief at what her cousin had just done. Neji had never been one to stomp on _anything_ that was alive, aside from something unavoidable as grass that is. He wasn't naturally cruel; it was usually unintentional on his part. There was definitely something that was bothering her cousin.

"Is it nee-chan?" It was obvious as to who it was. "Are you _that_ worried about her?"

"Of…course I am!" he grunted as he shattered the few remaining rocks within range, using only his bare palm. Breathless, the Hyuuga wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his bruised hand. "For all I know, she could be-" he stopped himself before he could say anymore, choosing instead to turn around. "Excuse me, I just remembered something that I have to do."

With a single leap, the prodigy disappeared into the darkness of the trees, leaving behind a trail of leaves.

Shrugging, Hanabi decided to head back into the compound. Neji was definitely way too overprotective, and she was somewhat thankful that he didn't react that way towards her.

But…

_Jeez, nee-chan's already a woman, it's not like she's some little girl who can't handle herself._ Frowning, Hanabi couldn't help but be a bit upset with her older cousin.

"Nii-san, you idiot…" she pouted.

* * *

"It feels good, oniichan." Hinata tilted her head back to look up at Sasuke. The Uchiha looked down at her in return, careful as he ran his black comb through her dark hair.

"What, you mean this?"

She nodded.

Sasuke closed his eyes for a brief second, feeling a somewhat dizzy spell pass over him. "Then enjoy it while you can because I'm almost done."

"Okay," she yawned, sleepily into her hand.

Sasuke noticed this. _Ah, she's sleepy too._

A few minutes passed by. After combing her hair to the side, the Uchiha ushered for her to stand up, but she made no movement in doing so. It was only when she fell against him without reservation that he realized she had already fallen asleep.

With her eyes closed, the little girl breathed quietly in her sleep, long lashes fanned against her white skin. Effortlessly, Sasuke lifted her up, causing Hinata to automatically clutch onto the front of his shirt with her small fists. Innocently, she snuggled herself closer against the warmth of Sasuke's body, causing the Uchiha to again panic at her frequent intimacy. It was something he wasn't very used to, and Hinata only made the experience even worse.

_How can she be so defenseless?_

Silent, Sasuke carried her into his bedroom, setting her down on his bed. After pulling the thin covers over her, the Uchiha was on his way out when Hinata's small hand suddenly reached out to grab a hold of his fingers.

"Oniichan…don't…don't go," she mumbled, half-asleep. "Stay with…me…" her grip on him relaxed, allowing Sasuke the chance to free himself from her. He stared down at the little girl, unsure of how or what to feel regarding her misleading words.

_She thinks of me as a brother though_… the thought was depressing, which caused Sasuke to cut it from his mind completely.

Babysitting had taken its toll on him. With his body aching from lack of exercise, the Uchiha decided to do something he never thought he'd do. Climbing onto the bed from the other side, Sasuke pulled the covers over himself as well, relishing the softness of his bed. Sleeping on the couch had done his back some damage.

_Its fine_, he told himself. _She's a kid inside and out anyways, so sharing a bed with her shouldn't be that big of a deal._

These comforting thoughts helped Sasuke somewhat, and with those thoughts in mind, the Uchiha fell into a deep and peaceful sleep beside the sweet little girl.


	11. Did I Get Bigger Oniichan?

Sasuke woke up the next morning to a warm ray of bright sunshine. Blocking it out with the pale backside of his arm, the Uchiha turned over on his side with his back to the window, grumbling in his sleep as he blindly reached down to pull the white bed sheets over himself. To his surprise though, his fingers lightly brushed over something smooth and fleshy. He felt again, realizing that it was skin. Incredibly soft and warm skin.

Hinata's skin.

The Uchiha was about to pull away immediately as he usually did, but this time, he kept his hand in place instead. His large fingers dug gently into her flawlessly smooth flesh, tips tracing the somewhat familiar planes. Was it just him, or did her legs seem a bit larger in size? She was in no way fat, just…plumper. More rounded out in a way.

His dark eyes trailed from the location of his hand, to the sheet-covered face beside him. Sasuke's eyes hesitatingly wandered down towards her chest, but that area was covered too, and there was no way in hell the Uchiha was going to grope her just for confirmation. He was NOT a lolicon!

This left only one possible choice of action.

In one swift motion, the Uchiha ripped the sheets away from the sleeping girl beside him, his arm trembling in horror at the image before him.

It was Hinata, she was definitely there, just…different.

Her shoulder length hair had grown out a bit, just past her shoulders. The round face she'd once had was no longer as round, but showed signs of a more feminine facial structure. Her body was not that of a seven year old anymore either, but rather a blossoming thirteen year old girl. The clothes she'd worn from last night were skin tight on her developing body, literally hugging her in all the right places as she innocently showed off her assets while stretching.

Cue nosebleed.

It was due to this that Sasuke could only stare at her with an open mouth, while remaining as frozen as a statue.

When her eyelids fluttered open, behind them laid a pair of lavender-opalescent eyes, warm with affection. The Hyuuga smiled fondly as she snuggled herself closer to her beloved 'oniichan,' much to his chagrin.

"Good morning, oniichan," she mewled as her round and soft breasts pressed themselves gently against his frozen-stiff arm.

Cue massive nosebleed.

* * *

Neji decided against his better judgment to not break down the door of the Uchiha's apartment. Instead, he opted for sneaking into his bedroom window and beating the crap out of him. He had two reasons for this: Hinata adored and had chosen the bastard over him. There was also the fact that he just didn't _like_ Sasuke for obvious reasons, AKA the Chunin exams, among other things as well.

With a single leap from the tree he was hiding in, Neji crashed rather gracefully through Sasuke's window, only to send shards of glass flying across the bedroom upon his forced entrance.

"Uchiha Sasuke, I have a score to settle with-" he stopped shortly upon seeing the two figures in bed. One looked to be frozen while the other insistently cuddled herself against him.

This only made Neji loathe the Uchiha even more as he proceeded to attack him.

* * *

"I need to hide, I need to hide!" Sakura cried, leaping from tree to tree as she headed towards Sasuke's apartment which was on the other side of the village. Naruto on the other hand, had difficulty keeping up as he stumbled over a few branches here and there. Despite his falling behind though, he noted that Sakura had never bothered to look back. This made him somewhat sad, but he pushed his own emotions aside and focused on returning Sakura to her normal cheerful and violent self.

"Nee, Sakura-chan~? If you're so scared of Neji, then why don't you let me deal with him? I'll protect you!" he jabbed his own thumb towards his chest for emphasis. This did little to ameliorate the kunoichi's worries as she frowned at him.

"I'm a girl so I need protection-is that what you're saying?" she glared.

_Crap! I didn't mean-! _"O-Of course not! I know that you're stronger than most guys, but-"

A sharp blow was delivered rather quickly to the blonde's abdomen, causing him to double over in pain. And as Sakura leaped ahead of him, she threw a quick "Stupid!" over her shoulder before fading into the distance. Naruto could only chuckle weakly in frustration as he stopped to regain his second wind. The Hokage-wannabe raked a hand through his mop of blonde locks, sighing as he punched the tree supporting him.

_Why am I such an idiot…?_

* * *

Having to wake up a second time that morning only to find Hyuuga Neji in his bedroom was anything but pleasant; only made worse by the fact that the guy looked ready to rip his head off, and for a fairly good reason as well.

While the two took to glaring at each other in the living room, said reason continuously clung to Sasuke like a koala bear, even now as they sat together on the sofa with Neji sitting across from them.

Fingers laced together, Neji leaned forward, his eyes burning with hatred at the sight of his dear cousin holding onto the Uchiha in such an intimate manner. Despite his rage, however, he calmly drew in a deep breath before speaking. "So, you found her like this," he stated rather than asking.

Sasuke said nothing. He was a man of few words, which resulted in almost no words concerning those he disliked. Though, he did want to make one thing clear.

"I. Did. Nothing."

Neji narrowed his eyes at this. "When you say it like that, it only makes you more suspicious."

Before Sasuke could flip the guy off, or better yet, knife him with a kunai, a banging at his front door was heard rather unexpectedly. The Uchiha didn't bother to get up though, because there were only two idiots who actually had the nerve to bang on his door in such a ridiculous manner. Who knew full well who they were too.

While the insistent knocking continued, the door finally slammed open to reveal a breathless and wide-eyed Sakura. Naruto was just as breathless and leaned against the door frame behind her, raking a hand through his damp, blond locks.

"Sasuke-kun, thank God!" the kunoichi cried, while running towards the love of her life with open arms. "You have to hide me from Neji, he-!" She stopped mid-sentence and paused completely on the spot upon seeing a pretty and younger-looking girl sitting rather closely with Sasuke on his couch. She raised an eyebrow at the very sight. "N-No way! Is that-?"

To her left, a voice cleared his throat intentionally. She slowly turned her head, only to see her nightmare.

"You were saying?" he frowned.

* * *

In spite of Neji's presence and resentful glares, Sakura couldn't help but become fascinated with Hinata's current condition. And for that matter, what had triggered it.

"Amazing," the kunoichi mused. "She's really grown." Her gaze fell shortly to the younger girl's chest before staring down forlornly at her own natural assets. "In more ways than one," the young woman grumbled.

Naruto stood beside Sakura and took the chance to examine the girl himself. "It's really her, right? I mean, just a few days ago, she was this tall," he indicated, placing a flat palm beside his lower thigh. He straightened himself up and stared at the young Hyuuga who returned his stare with a questioning gaze of her own. "Do you think…she maybe gained some of her memories back?"

And as the blond said this, Hinata suddenly spoke for herself this time. "Naruto nii-chan, is something wrong?" There was still a somewhat childish lilt to her voice, but it wasn't as squeaky this time. It was higher and softer.

The blond fought back a blush as the Hyuuga approached him, wrapping her shorter arms around his waist. The very top of her head fell short just below his chest. Had this been the normal Hinata, she would've at least reached up to his chin. She also wouldn't have done something as bold as hugging him. Scratching the back of his head, Naruto averted his gaze from her tightly-fitted shirt, to his only love, who didn't seem to realize how uncomfortable he was with her watching.

Luckily for him, Neji pulled the girl aside, removing the outer robe of his training gi and placing it over her smaller shoulders.

Sakura again bent down to examine Hinata, her green eyes focused solely on the girl's physical structure. "I can't say for sure what'll happen next." She then suddenly turned to Sasuke, eyeing him for a moment. "Did anything happen?" she asked.

The Uchiha inwardly flushed red at the question. "Like what?" he returned, keeping his calm façade.

"I mean, do you think anything significant happened to make her change like that?" the kunoichi repeated.

Sasuke closed his eyes for second before casually replying, "Nothing I can think of. I just did what I usually do."

A vein appeared rather noticeably beside Neji's temple. "And what would _that_ be?"

Sasuke shot a glare at the Hyuuga. "Babysitting, what do you think?"

Naruto stood between the two and held them apart with his palms outstretched. "Anyways, back to the matter at hand." He glanced at his female teammate. "What should we do, Sakura-chan?"

"Well, in order to make sure that her physical growth is stable, we'll have to wait and see what happens next."

"But what about Hinata-sama?"

Everyone blinked at the Hyuuga's question. Sasuke was sure that the woman had already answered all of his questions.

"Like I said," Sakura repeated "we'll just have to wait and-"

"Do you honestly expect me to leave her in the hands of this beast once again?"

Silence stilled the room for about a moment before Naruto let loose a burst of laughter. Confused stares were focused on him as the blonde wiped aside a tear at the corner of his eye.

"Did I say something funny?" Neji asked, ready to pummel the blonde for his lack of respect.

"Well, yeah," Naruto replied with a grin. "Cause what you're basically saying is that Sasuke's a lolicon."

Everyone but Sasuke stared open-mouthed at the blue-eyed shinobi, who only continued to smile. All Sasuke could think about at the moment though was pummeling the blonde through the wooden floorboards of his apartment.

* * *

**A/N: Yes, yes, I know how long it's been. So sorry, but I was motivated to finish this chapter after looking through an album of sasuhina fanart. **

**Now, we all know that Sasuke isn't a lolicon…or is he? LOL. **


	12. I Like Flowers Oniichan

"Here's a shirt I wore when I was fourteen, Hinata." Sakura rummaged through a large bag of her older clothes, pulling out a few more tops that would hopefully fit the Hyuuga this time. "Here, try this one on first," Sakura insisted. "I bought it a month ago, so it should fit you."

Hinata removed the white t-shirt she had been wearing and tried on another bra while Sakura watched, somewhat amused. "Need help?" the older woman smiled.

The Hyuuga blushed. "N-No, I can d-do it myself!"

_How cute! _Sakura gushed. _So this is what it feels like to have a younger sister_.

After attaching the hooks in the back, Hinata turned around to face Sakura, her face bright red. Her breathing came out in short huffs, almost as though she couldn't breathe. "S-Sakura nee-chan, its…it's too tight!" she squeaked.

Sakura's smile froze in place. _So this is what it feels like, to lose to a thirteen year old girl._

After removing the bra for Hinata, Sakura proceeded to bang her forehead repeatedly against a nearby wall until it bled.

* * *

When Hinata and Sakura finally emerged from the latter's home, Sasuke could do nothing but sigh in relief. He wasn't really an expert when it came to female articles of clothing, but Sasuke knew a bouncing chest when he saw one, and that had been Hinata.

Sakura's presence had actually made a difference as of today.

As they approached him, the Uchiha couldn't help but notice that the little heiress had taken to having her hair pulled back into a loose braid. Wisps of midnight-dark hair swept past her large pale eyes as she stood opposite of the Uchiha, her smile all too familiar, yet painfully distant.

"What took you guys so long?" piped up Naruto who had long ago chosen to hide up in the large tree close to where Sakura was standing. His former teammate shrieked in terror at his sudden appearance and sent him flying with her fist towards the apartment buildings within seconds. She immediately turned back to Sasuke as though nothing had happened and immediately whipped out a sweet smile.

"Sorry, did we make you wait too long?"

"Its fine," Sasuke muttered. "Let's just get this over with quickly."

"Just to be clear on this-" Sakura began, "everyone understands the objective for today, right?"

Naruto hobbled over to take his place beside Sakura, while wincing in pain. "Help Hinata regain her memory," he answered weakly.

"Correct," the kunoichi grinned. "First stop-the Pig's flower shop!"

* * *

Hinata's reaction upon entering the flower shop was mind-numbingly adorable as Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto fought back their oncoming nosebleeds.

Sasuke covered his eyes in dismay. _This girl, why does she have to be so-! _

Naruto blushed and suddenly felt himself capable of sympathizing with the Uchiha. _Is this what it feels like to be a lolicon?_

Sakura placed a hand delicately over her throbbing heart. _As a fellow woman, I don't want to admit it, but I'm definitely feeling something_…

"Oi, the perverted-looking trio over there," called a loud and haughty voice. "If you're not going to buy anything then get out of my shop. You'll taint my flowers with your impure thoughts."

The three turned to glare at the young woman with her corn silk-like hair and pale-blue eyes. Yamanaka Ino eyed them suspiciously as she leaned on the broom stick she was holding for support. "What are you guys up to? I've known you all long enough to know that you don't appreciate flowers the same way a normal human being should."

Sakura cracked her knuckles as her viridian-green eyes burst into flames. "What did you say, you BITCH?"

"You heard me, Bill-board Brow. Or would you prefer if I wrote exactly what I said on your giant forehead so that you can see it more clearly? I'll even have a mirror ready for you if you'd like," she grinned.

Sakura tackled Ino as both girls rolled around on the floor, pulling viciously at each other's roots.

The Uchiha rolled his eyes. Despite her subtle, yet obvious attempt to insult them, Sasuke could care less as to what she thought of him as long as she wasn't harassing him anymore. Though reluctant, he felt that he should thank the Nara-guy, or whatever his name was, for courting her a few months back. If he hadn't, then she would most-likely still be at level-Sakura and continue to chase after him as the pink-haired kunoichi continued to do.

Not wanting to bother the two, Sasuke walked over to where Hinata was at. The young girl gazed dreamily at a colorful assortment of flowers. Her eyes, however, seemed to be focusing on a particular kind. There were several different shades, but the light-blue ones seemed to hold her gaze the most. They were small, and each held five petals. Sasuke wasn't very familiar with flowers, so he had no idea what the name of it was.

"Ah, so you like those, do you?" came Ino's voice from behind them. Inwardly startled, Sasuke turned his head a bit to see that the blond was moving closer to stand beside Hinata. Behind them, a fuming Sakura was being restrained by Naruto. "I like them too. They're very pretty, don't you think?" From the way she spoke to her, it seemed that Ino had yet to figure out that the young girl was Hinata. Explaining the situation would be somewhat difficult, but they should've managed.

The heiress nodded slowly, her expression soft. Sasuke had to admit that he was a bit surprised. He hadn't seen this expression of hers ever since she'd turned into a child. The very sight of it struck a painful chord within his heart. Such a small thing; It was somewhat…nostalgic.

* * *

_After a week of being kept hostage inside the hospital, the Uchiha received the doctor's permission to do the one thing he'd been waiting to do the most._

_When he was finally allowed outside for a bit of fresh air, Sasuke took this chance to find a shady spot beneath the ginkgo trees behind the hospital in the courtyard. He walked slowly towards the bench, ignoring the dull pain that seemed to intensify within his left arm. It hadn't fully healed yet, but he certainly didn't want to admit that it was still painful. _

_His eyes took notice of several injured patients who were participating in sport games. Despite the bandages and casts masking them, they seemed to be enjoying themselves. He could only express his confusion by slightly frowning. What exactly was so fun about playing games while injured? Were the majority of them masochists in some way? He scoffed at their childish behavior, as most of them were around his age or older-and leaned back, closing his eyes._

_The breeze was noticeably soft as it brushed lightly at his hair and cheeks. It felt nice, as though it were caressing him. The touches were somewhat reminiscent of a person he loved dearly. The gentleness of it all was comforting, if not painful. In his mind, he could envision the darkness of her hair sweeping around him as she bent down to kiss him. He recalled the many times her delicate and pale fingers gently cupped his face within her warm hands as she whispered motherly words of affection in his ears._

_As a child, he had been loved, carefree even. There hadn't been a single moment where he had to worry about anything, because his family had loved him._

'_Don't think about her,' he quietly told himself._

_But it was no use. His chest tightened with pain at the memories. Sitting outside had reminded him of his mother. Why had he suddenly thought of her? She had certainly been an outdoor type of person, but he hadn't thought of her in a while. In fact, it had been years since he had last recalled the memory of her face-or the rest of his family for that matter-of-fact. _

_Looking up, the blue sky brightly greeted him in all of its morning glory. He frowned. It reminded him of the mission that hadn't happened too long ago. Just like today's sky, he had watched it before falling asleep after chasing off the Hyuuga._

'_Oh, right. She was also there too, wasn't she…?' he mused. But despite his attempt to keep her away, she had returned for him. And had it not been for her, the Uchiha suddenly realized that he might've died from a severe amount of blood loss. _

_Okay, so maybe thanking her would've been a good idea for starters, but it wasn't like the Uchiha to do that. In fact, he couldn't bring himself to do it even if he wanted to. He just didn't have it in him._

_He sighed, debating on a more conspicuous, if not reasonable, way to show her his gratitude. Unlike what most people thought, he wasn't completely without a heart. He quickly ran through a list inside his head. Training her was definitely a waste of his time. He didn't have the patience for it. She didn't seem like the type to perform good deeds for money either. So the question was:_

_How the hell do you tell someone 'thank you' without actually saying it? _

_Rubbing his forehead, the Uchiha went through a few more possible scenarios, but none seemed fitting. 'Ah, this is a lot harder than I thought it would be.' Deep in thought, Sasuke took in the fresh air and decided to think some more. He would find some way, he was sure of that. The only problem was that it would take some time._

'_That damn girl, why'd she have to make me feel indebted to her?'_

"_Sasuke-kun?"_

_Hearing his first name attached with the suffix for familiarity usually made him rigid, but the voice saying his name wasn't loud, lustful, or purposely high-pitched this time. It was a voice he wasn't used to hearing. Being teammates with Naruto and Sakura, who were purposely loud, made sure of that._

"_W-What are you doing outside?" she asked. "Shouldn't you be resting?"_

_It was soft and genuinely concerned._

_When he sat upright, the first thing he caught sight of was her long dark hair being lifted by the wind and her pale, silvery-orbs meeting his gaze directly. Sasuke took in her appearance as they stared at one another. She wore a light-blue tee that clung to her frame, but was otherwise a bit loose. She had on white shorts and a pair of regular sandals to complete an everyday look that most shinobi's took on when not on duty._

_It was then that Sasuke suddenly realized the Hyuuga was not a girl of material value. Quickly, he asked her "Is there anything you like to do?"_

_She seemed to be caught-off guard by this as she stared at him in confusion. "What do you m-mean?"_

_He groaned inwardly. "Like a hobby," he spoke through gritted teeth. "Or things you like."_

_Sasuke noticed that she had picked up on his impatience and immediately answered "O-Oshibana!" Uncertainty crossed her face then. "I enjoy oshibana, I think…"_

"_So its flowers then, right?"_

_She nodded. "Wait…w-what?"_

_Picking up on the fact that she had no idea what it was that he was talking about, Sasuke decided to remain silent on the matter until she actually received his gift._

* * *

"Oniichan?"

Sasuke's attention was brought back to reality at the sound of Hinata's voice. "Hn?"

With her hands clasped behind her back, the Hyuuga shyly looked up to meet his eyes. She seemed hesitant to speak up, until Sasuke motioned for her to continue on. "If you don't say anything, then I won't know what it is that you want."

Her cheeks went red at his words. "I know, but…"

Although Sasuke didn't want to show the soft side of himself that he reserved for Hinata alone, he felt that now was more than an appropriate time to do so, despite the presence of the other three. "And I won't get mad," he gently cut in.

A hopeful look crossed her face. "Then…is it alright for me to get some flowers?"

In that moment, the image of her smile from that day flashed through his mind.

"_Thank you, Sasuke-kun. They're…beautiful."_

He recalled the sound of her soft voice and sincere words as they filled his ears.

"Yeah…it's fine." Without realizing it, he had given her a small smile, much to the shock of everyone else.

Her expression went from hopeful to one filled with joy. "Thank you, Oniichan!"

* * *

**A/N: Yeah, I know it's been a while. Okay, more than a while, really. And I realize that, so I would like to apologize to everyone for the long break I'd taken. I'm back now though, so if anyone's still reading this story, then by all means, please continue. There's also some good news as well. Until I finish this story, I won't be updating or uploading anything else as it seems to be the most popular.**

**I would like to thank everyone for their continued support, so in the meantime, look forward to another chapter. No month-long delays this time either, I promise. You need to give me a week-or two at the very least though. Lol. **


	13. What's Wrong Oniichan?

Explanations were nothing but a hassle, but the three decided that someone had to do it if they wanted Ino's participation in the matter.

After carefully explaining the whole story to her former classmate and best friend, Sakura thought it best to leave out a few small details in the process, one of them involving her head being served on a platter by none other than Hyuuga Neji himself should she fail to return his younger cousin to her original self.

"So what you're basically saying is that this whole thing is your fault," the blond bluntly supplied with a roll of her eyes. "I'm honestly not surprised, though I have to admit that it is something I would expect from Naruto instead."

"Hey, what the hell is that supposed to mean!" Naruto cried.

"That's not important right now," Sakura glared, cutting him off. "The point is-we brought her here, hoping her memory might return. You of all people should know that she liked to make frequent visits to this shop."

"True," Ino tapped at her chin thoughtfully, "but isn't her physical appearance more of an issue here?" She glanced at Hinata, taking notice of how in awe the girl seemed to be over a small pot of blooming hydrangeas. She gazed at them with an appreciation that was so rarely shown towards something so small. She gave a small smile, realizing that despite her physical appearance, the Hyuuga girl would always remain innocent and sincere. It was probably what made her so likeable.

"It is, but think about it. If she was transformed into a child, mind and body, then wouldn't memories of herself as an adult return her to her original appearance as well?"

"Have you tried changing her back yourself?" Ino questioned with a slight tilt.

"I have, several times actually, but nothing has worked so far," Sakura replied glumly.

"Which left you with this option," Ino sighed.

"Exactly," Sakura nodded. "So, you'll help, won't you?"

Twirling a lock of hair around her index finger, she chewed on her lip thoughtfully before replying "As much as I don't want to get involved in this, I don't think I really have a choice, now do I?"

While the three spoke of their plans to help the Hyuuga regain her memory, Sasuke chose to simply listen, finding a few, well, most of their ideas ridiculous.

After their discussion, everyone decided it was best to part for now until tomorrow.

Before Sasuke and Hinata could leave however, Ino halted them with the words "Hold on."

Her hands were quick as she carefully put together a vibrant bouquet consisting of the Hyuuga's favorite flowers. As a finishing touch, Ino completed the assortment by wrapping a silky red ribbon several times around the neatly-trimmed stems into a bow. Handing the bouquet over to Hinata, the young woman grinned as she made a sweeping gesture with her hand.

"It's on the house," she winked.

* * *

While Naruto and Sakura each went off to do their own thing, Sasuke decided that it would be best to return home for now before anyone else, aside from the young boys who looked spellbound by the Hyuuga, noticed her. And for some reason, it…annoyed him. He brushed the thought aside to keep it from irritating him any further as he cast a glare in their direction, which sent them running off faster than he'd expected.

Walking side-by-side gave Sasuke the chance to view her profile at a closer range, unlike the other males who were only capable of admiring her from afar. Knowing this made him feel somewhat better.

Despite her appearance being somewhere around the age of twelve, the freshly-cut flowers in her arms complimented her feminine beauty, making her seem almost mature for her age. The white lilies brought out the translucent whiteness of her skin while the blue hydrangeas seemed to highlight her silky-straight and glossy dark hair. The light-pink tulips just below her chin brightened the coloring of her lips, both looking about the same shade. Her steps were gentle, silent almost as she walked beside him with her face practically buried into the bouquet. She was literally radiating pure bliss.

He'd once heard a saying from Naruto-something about girls resembling flowers and whatnot. At the time, Sasuke had brushed it off as another one of his friend's idiotic comments, but to actually see it, he could understand how such a saying had come about.

Hinata was living proof as she noticed his staring and smiled up at him.

"Aren't they pretty, oniichan?" she asked quietly as the two headed for his home.

Konoha, during the summertime was always, painfully hot. However, if a cloud or two were kind enough to pass by and briefly block out the scorching sun, then the wait was well worth it, because when it did happen, the village became nice and cool. And it was during these cooling sessions that the wind had somehow, found its way in and passed by a few lucky villagers, giving them a temporary relief from the heat.

"_Thank you, Sasuke-kun. They're…beautiful."_

A sudden breeze blew past Hinata, gently lifting her loosely braided hair which had come undone along with the wind. Locks of midnight blue swept elegantly around her small shoulders as the breeze left, taking with it the clouds from earlier. The sun once again engulfed the village with its unbearable heat, and Sasuke, being who he was, would have groaned at this, however, his eyes were locked firmly in place as the figure before him smiled with the radiance of an angel.

She was taller than before, her hair longer, and her bust more prominent in comparison to her adolescent self. He couldn't believe his eyes.

Hyuuga Hinata had returned to her regular self and was directing a smile she usually reserved for a certain blond idiot, towards him.

It was within those few seconds that he could feel his heart literally stop.

* * *

"Oi, Shino! Hurry it up already, will ya? It's been three days since we last saw Hinata, y'know. I wanna go and see her!" Kiba called over his shoulder as he leapt from tree to tree while keeping a steady pace in order for Shino to catch up to him.

"Likewise, but you know quite well that we won't be able to return home until we've completed this mission," he replied in that usual calm manner of his. He adjusted his sunglasses before picking up speed. Within a few seconds, he was right beside Kiba, his eyebrows knitting in a slightly annoyed manner as the two effortlessly avoided tree branches while keeping a steady pace. "It appears that we have company," he stated quietly, reaching into his pouch for a kunai. The shinobi were well hidden within the shadows of the trees as they followed the two from behind.

"You just figured that out now?" Kiba smirked, holding up his hand to reveal three explosive tags between his fingers. His voice was smug. "I sniffed them out hours ago."

He took his teammate's silence as a good thing, because that meant that he had actually been a step ahead of the guy, which was not often in his case.

Shino's voice was low as he said "I tracked them hours ago before you even figured it out."

Kiba raised an eyebrow. "What? Wait, what are you talking abo-"

Raising his hand, Shino allowed Kiba to witness the small beetle as it landed on his pointed index finger. The look on his teammate's face changed from confusion to horrific realization. "You just realized this?" he asked, his words mocking, despite his calm tone.

"GODDAMN KIKAICHU!" he bellowed. Instead of one step, the bug user had actually been three steps ahead of him.

This earned a hint of a smile from Shino, who immediately went straight to business as he stopped dead in his tracks to face the oncoming enemy. His muscles tensed as he brandished his kunai, his form taking on a defensive stance. "Kiba, I think it's time we took care of them before things get out of hand," he said over his shoulder.

This stopped the other boy as well, allowing his irritation from a few seconds ago to instantly fade away. Now wasn't the time for a childish rivalry. "Ah, right." The mission came first. With the explosive tags in hand, he took his side by Shino, a feral grin spreading across his face. "Ready partner?"

It was then that an enemy nearly attacked Kiba from behind, but Shino had managed to deflect the kunai in that instant, keeping his back against his shorter teammate.

"Of course, that's what we've been trained for after all," was his reply.

* * *

When they returned to the village that afternoon, both boys agreed that it was best to make a quick visit to the Godaime and report the completion of their mission before she could assign them anything else.

"Well done," praised Tsunade as she absentmindedly studied her nails before pulling a nail filer from her desk. The information you've retrieved will be put to good use. In the meantime, relax and take a break. You deserve it." She looked up at them to quickly flash a smile in their direction before returning to her nails, diligently working on the tips.

Kiba pumped a fist in the air. "Yes! So, does that mean we can go now?" Not being able to see Hinata for the past few days had been equivalent to that of a hellish torture. The four of them (including Akamaru) had always been together, so when Hinata wasn't with them; it was like missing their younger sister. And boy did her miss her. He knew Shino felt the same way as well, but wasn't particularly as vocal about it as he was.

The Godaime waved her hand dismissively. "Go wherever you want, but if I see either of you around the tower, _then_ I'll assign you another mission." The corners of her full lips lifted up into a sort of small and mischievous grin. "Are we clear on that?"

Both mumbled a "Yes ma'am," before turning around to exit.

"Ah, before I forget," the Godaime suddenly said, surprising the two. "I wanted to ask you…how long will Hinata's visit to Iwagakure last until?"

This caused the duo to freeze in their tracks, beads of sweat rolling down their faces like water drops on a window pane.

Kiba was about to blurt out a random, if not suspicious answer. Luckily for him, however, Shino managed to silence him with a quick glare, which meant that he was to do all of the talking instead. Keeping his mouth shut, he listened as his stoic teammate provided a well-thought answer.

"From what we were told by Neji, it appears that her stay will be prolonged until further notice. Apparently, about a fourth of the shinobi were injured during a few missions. It seems that before she could leave, the villagers were seeking medical attention, which she just happened to overhear. She's most likely tending to their injuries as we speak, knowing her." He adjusted his sunglasses and cleared his throat. "That is all we were informed of."

"I see," she murmured. A thoughtful look crossed the Godaime's face before slowly shifting into a small smile. "Despite not being as skilled as Sakura in the medical field, her kindness certainly knows no boundaries," she mused. Blowing on the tips of her nails, she once again waved them away, her non-caring attitude set back in place. "Alright then, the two of you are dismissed. Oh, and be sure to let me know when Hinata returns. There's something I need to speak with her about."

"Yes ma'am!" Kiba said in his loudest voice.

"Well then, we'll be leaving," Shino said with a quick bow. His hand shot out to grasp the back of Kiba's shirt. Dragging his teammate out before anything else could leave his careless lips was probably the best course of action.

* * *

Once outside , a thought suddenly occurred to Kiba as he pounded a fist into his hand. "Hey, wait a minute, Shino. I just realized something."

"That's somewhat new, coming from you," Shino returned.

"Oi, don't be such a smartass, you jerk," Kiba growled. "What I meant was, since the Godaime is here, why didn't we just explain Hinata's situation to her? I'm sure she would've helped us."

"You know very well why it is that we can't do that," Shino said, his voice dangerously low. "It's bad enough that Neji already knows of her condition, but if her father were to find out…" his sentence trailed off from there as he imagined the consequences.

A chill ran down Kiba's spine at the very thought of her father, who had secretly made it very clear to them the day Team 8 had formed, that Hinata was at all times, their responsibility. "Ah, th-that makes sense, I guess," Kiba laughed half-heartedly, failing miserably at masking his fear.

"There's also the fact that Sakura may pummel us should we reveal this information to the Godaime," the bug-user added as an afterthought.

Kiba's face twisted in pain as a flash of images passed through his mind. How Naruto even managed to like such a girl for so long was far beyond his understanding. "Er, I don't want that either. It probably would be better if we just kept our mouths shut then. Besides, Sakura did say she would fix it…right?"

Shino gave a brief nod. "Let's hope so. It's only a matter of time until her Iwagakure cover is seen through."

After wrapping up their conversation, the two shinobi headed for the apartment where their miniature teammate awaited them.

* * *

"Oniichan, are you okay?" Hinata asked worriedly, getting down on her knees to peer into the Uchiha's hidden face. They had returned home from Ino's shop and were now in the living room with Sasuke on the couch and Hinata on the floor.

The Uchiha caught sight of the Hyuuga's fawn-like gaze looking up at him from between the openings of his fingers, prompting him to immediately bury his face further into his hands, as he repeatedly shook his head in dismay. He had barely been able to register what had happened earlier.

"_Hinata, you…"_

_The very sight of her seventeen year old self before him was dazzling, blinding almost. She continued smiling at him in that way that seemed to always reduce him to a puddle of goo inwardly whenever he caught a glimpse of it, despite knowing that it was reserved specially for his stupid teammate. _

_Without thinking, he began to move forward a bit, his arm outstretched, fingers itching to caress the side of her face, the skin of a young woman. A young woman he had found himself constantly thinking about for the past year. Memories instantly resurfaced. The countless attempts of accidentally brushing against her, even for the briefest of moments, reeled through his mind. The planned and 'accidental' encounters replayed themselves over and over again as well, his head practically spinning. He could barely think right now, because here she was, right before him. She had been restored to the young woman who had made his heart race in that unsteady manner he was not used to._

"_You're…You're back to-"_

_The image of her older self, however, shattered the second her trademark words left her petal-colored lips. It was then that Sasuke realized this wasn't the past. It was now. The strange vision of her had merely been a dream. Hinata had never returned to her original self. She was as she'd always been these past three weeks, a younger girl. _

_The two stood across from each other with a thirteen year old Hinata quizzically staring at him in wonder. "What's wrong, oniichan?"_

Groaning in frustration, the Uchiha kept his face buried in shame.

Fool. That was exactly what he felt like. He felt like a goddamn fool. A long and troubled sigh passed through his lips. It was ridiculous, he couldn't believe himself. To think that he had missed her original form so much, only to hallucinate that she had returned as her older self for that brief moment. If it were even possible, he would've been content with just laughing the thought off, but he couldn't bring himself to do it.

"Oniichan," the Hyuuga called sweetly, her voice sad and almost desperate. "Please don't hide; I'm sorry if I made you mad earlier…"

A twinge of guilt hit him suddenly, the second she spoke those words. He immediately lowered his hands and went on to tell her in his most composed voice "No, I'm fine. I'm not mad at you or anything like that, it's just…" He raked a hand through his dark locks, trying to find the right words to say. When it came to dealing with her, everything seemed harder than it should've been.

_Even though you're here, I_-

"I'm…more tired than I thought I was-that's all." He forced a smile of sorts to reassure her.

Unlike her much younger and energetic self from earlier, the Hinata as of now suddenly seemed rather bashful as she laced her fingers over one another in a girlish manner. "I-If you're tired, then should we t-take a quick nap? Cause, I-I'm kind of tired too," she blushed.

The sight of her blushing and stuttering a bit more than usual reminded him of the seventeen year old Hinata he was smitten with. This helped to somewhat lessen the loneliness he'd recently been feeling.

"Yeah, that sounds nice," he agreed, despite the painful clenching beneath his chest. "Let's go to sleep then. This heat is exhausting anyways."

-_miss the Hinata with memories of me_.

And as they slept, Sasuke's memories once again took over the place of his dreams.

* * *

_Pacing back and forth inside his hospital bedroom had to be about one of the most tedious things Sasuke had ever done in his life. His left arm, which had been tightly dressed with a fresh wrapping of bandages, was on its way towards completely healing. And today was also the day in which he was to officially be discharged from the hospital after five grueling weeks of physical therapy and rest. It almost seemed impossible to think that he'd once had a serious fracture, which felt like absolutely nothing now to him. It was non-existent almost. Still, he had to admit, the abilities a medic-nin wielded were certainly impressive, even if most of the treatments had been done by Sakura._

_Said girl suddenly burst into the room, though this didn't surprise him one bit, since she'd taken to doing it almost every day since his stay at the hospital._

"_Sasuke-kun~! I have good news," Sakura sang cheerfully, her upbeat disposition something most would find contagious, though the Uchiha wasn't like most people. "You're recovery was even more of a success than Tsunade-sama expected it to be, so you're free to leave now!" she grinned._

'_Finally,' Sasuke thought to himself, inwardly relieved with the Godaime's decision. The time for escape had thankfully come. He wasn't sure how much longer he could handle being in the hospital due to injured morons further worsening their injuries and trying to get him to join them, or the fact that his designated nurse, along with many others continually tried to attend to him when he wasn't even in need of it._

"_Oh, and to celebrate your discharge," the pink-haired kunoichi suddenly spoke up again, "I was thinking that we could maybe go out to eat and-"_

Swoosh_._

_He disappeared out the window before she could even finish._

* * *

_After ridding himself of about a fourth of the source of his stress, the Uchiha opted to roam the village aimlessly, not completely set on his choice of destination. It felt good to be out in the open and underneath the sun, despite him not liking the heat. He had much more freedom this way, unlike the confining, white-washed walls of his hospital bedroom._

_There were a few girls who happily squealed as he walked by, but he ignored them as he usually did, uncaring and uninterested with his hands in his pockets._

_For the past few weeks, the only girl he had really found himself thinking about at all had been the Hyuuga heiress. She had made no promise of any sort to him, but unfailingly visited him once a week during his confinement at the hospital. He tolerated her presence for two reasons alone. She brought him hand-prepared meals with several things he noted that happened to be his favorites. She was a decent cook and never made anything that he didn't like. Secondly, she was considerate when it came to leaving him to rest in peace, or simply remaining silent when he didn't want her fishing for small talk with him or humming gently to herself. He didn't mind the latter as much though and rarely called her out for it unless he really wasn't in the mood._

_Speaking of the Hyuuga…_

_Soft footsteps sounded from behind him. He turned around just in time to see her heading his way, the smile and apparent joy on her face ridiculously adorable._

_Damn it. He silently cursed himself for even thinking of such a word._

"_S-Sasuke-kun!" she called out in that frustratingly soothing voice of hers. The sound of his name on another girl's tongue annoyed the hell out of him, but not so much when the Hyuuga spoke his name._

_He, however, feigned his disinterest in her almost perfectly when he answered "What?" in a slightly irritated manner._

"_How are you f-feeling?" she questioned sweetly with a sincere look._

_He barely managed to refrain himself from grabbing a hold of her by the shoulders and shaking her senseless for making such a face in front of him. It was torture, and something he wasn't used to. "That much should be obvious since I'm not at the hospital," he replied, taking care to not directly look her in the eye._

_Her face grew red at his response. "Ah, th-that's true." She wore an embarrassed smile, making it that much more difficult for the Uchiha to even withstand her presence. "B-But it's good that you've been discharged, right? After all, y-you must've been bored having to sit in that room all day long b-by yourself."_

"_By myself?"_

_What was she talking about?_

"_Weren't you there with me?" he thoughtlessly asked, unaware that he had broken his earlier decision to not face her directly. Sasuke, being a head taller bore his eyes into her white ones while she stood there and looked up at him, clearly shocked by his words._

_She seemed surprised by this, if not a bit flustered as she suddenly averted her gaze in embarrassment. "O-Oh, um…th-that's true too, I guess…" Her face grew redder with each passing second as she lowered her head, obviously not wanting to face him now. "To…To be honest, I d-didn't think you would n-notice."_

"_You brought me lunch whenever you came. How could I not notice that?" he deadpanned._

_His words just then had apparently sealed the deal. And as though she couldn't take it anymore, Sasuke watched as the kunoichi sped away with sealed eyelids. In those few seconds, he'd caught a glimpse of her ears, which had been as red as her heart-shaped face._

_He sighed, slightly annoyed with himself for having chased her away. He'd only seen her once a week after all._

* * *

Dark eyes slowly opened, only to blink rapidly at the sunlight pouring in from the open blinds. Sasuke turned over on his side as he usually did whenever he woke up to something shining directly on his face, feeling somewhat peeved that the blinds had even been open in the first place. His irritation, however, became almost non-existent when he realized that the only possible culprit could be Hinata. Her love for the sun was about as equal to his longing for the night.

In the past few weeks, Sasuke had grown accustomed to waking up to the small Hyuuga heiress cuddled beside him, curled up like a kitten. From the week of her sudden transformation, he knew very well that he, at that time, would have outright refused to climb into any type of bed with her out of guilt. She had been like a newborn chick from the day of her transformation, constantly clinging to him, which had only made him feel worse for harboring such feelings towards a woman who was currently a child. But these days, lounging in a bed with her for afternoon naps felt strangely natural. There were no ill thoughts of any sort running through his head, thankfully. He just felt somewhat at peace, having her beside him like this.

His eyes fell upon her sleeping face as he gazed silently at her eyelashes, surprised to see how long they were. Without thinking, he let the tips of his fingers gently brush at them, while trying his best to not wake her. They fluttered quickly every few seconds as he did this, slightly tickling him as well. He watched in amusement as her face soured with annoyance. Sleepily, she tried to push away his hand, but barely managed to even do so before completely passing out once again.

This brought about a rather rare smile from the Uchiha, considering his lack of expression.

And yet, despite all of the confusion as to what was right and wrong, Sasuke was absolutely positive about one thing.

He gently brushed aside her hair before speaking softly into her open ear.

"_Thank you for coming back for me that day_."

Regardless of her appearance, he loved both her child and adult form.

* * *

**A/N:** **GAH! Curse me all you want, please! I'm a procrastinating bitch who can't even keep her word after making such a promise in the last chapter! **

**I would like to sincerely apologize to every one of you who were kind enough to add this story to your alerts and favorites. I thank you, from the bottom of my heart. I can't even begin to describe how touched I am from all of the reviews and PM's I've received over this silly little fic.**

**I'll be honest, I was this close to giving up on fan fiction, because I couldn't help but think, "Where are all the good stories?" Truthfully, a lot of the new fics that I've read summaries for looked terrible. There was no real creativity or originality, just a bunch of terribly overdone and cliché-sounding plots (though I'm one to talk). Not to mention the fact that a lot of my favorite authors seem to have quit completely as I've been waiting for a year or two for an update from them.**

**My SasuHina spark has recently ignited however. Thanks to a few of the incredibly talented artists over at DA. Yes, that's right; I'm talking about YOU****,****Lems-sama****. :3**

**And for those who haven't seen her artwork yet, please go and check her out. Not only is her art centered on SasuHina, but her style is amazingly beautiful and captures the couple perfectly.**

**Next update will be in maybe…a month? Or less if I'm lucky enough. Thanks to those who are still reading. And just to let you know, the one promise I plan on keeping is to finish this story before uploading anything else. **

**Look forward to it! :P **


	14. Stop Teasing Me Oniichan!

It was still dark out that morning when the young Hyuuga had woken up.

Hinata's eyes fluttered open the second she felt a strong arm wrap itself around her waist. Her cheeks flooded with heat as she drank in the close-up view of her sleeping oniichan, who was stunningly beautiful, even in her adolescent eyes.

From the way his dark hair fell over his eyelids and lashes, to his perfectly white skin, which felt cool to the touch whenever their skin made contact-much to her embarrassment, were all things she couldn't help but secretly enjoy.

She could clearly recall the day of their first meeting, from the clearing of the white smoke, to the sight of her oniichan's surprised face. Sakura and Naruto were also there from what she could remember, but no one, other than the dark-haired Uchiha had quickly seized her attention as he had. It was during that moment when their eyes met that she had wanted to cry tears of joy. To put simply, it was like darkness seeing light for the first time.

The very second the smoke around her had cleared; it was within that instant that she realized the pretty oniichan with dark eyes would be everything to her, and everything for her.

She took advantage of the arm he'd flung around her waist and cuddled her body closer into his warmth, relishing the feel of his cool skin on hers and the softness of his dark hair. Inhaling his sharp and clean scent was almost dizzying, but she didn't mind. Being close to him like this was all she really needed.

* * *

Neji wasn't quite sure as to what emotion he should've given into first-his anger towards Sakura for his cousin's current condition, or his fear towards Hinata's father. Said man had just recently grilled him for answers of her whereabouts.

Luckily for Neji, he was good at keeping up a poker-face, and managed to make his lie sound like nothing but the truth.

"Neji nii-san, do you know how long it will be till nee-chan returns from her solo mission?"

The prodigy froze halfway into his daily training upon hearing the question. "Oh, um…she sent a message just yesterday. I was notified that she would be returning within three days or so."

"That's it?" Hanabi asked with raised brows. "No mention of her sudden leave?" The young kunoichi stretched herself out flexibly like a cat on the veranda before continuing on. "Otousan's not showing it, well, not too much that is, but he's really worried about her."

Neji fought hard to keep up his trademark poker-face, because not only was his uncle becoming stressful due to the sudden disappearance of his daughter, but he was also very pissed off at a certain pink-haired kunoichi for having placed his dear cousin into such a situation in the first place.

He was seething with anger, but he knew that it wouldn't do to let on just how angry he was, so he calmed himself down and simply answered her. "Yes, that is all," he concluded, trying to make it clear that there was nothing else worth mentioning.

Hanabi eyed him hesitantly before sighing in acceptance. "Well, if you say so…" Thankfully, she'd chosen to drop the subject and instead decided to move onto something else. "By the way, nii-san…" she began in a rather reluctant manner, which strangely reminded him of Hinata. "What should I pack tomorrow for the trip? I know bandages and ointments are necessary, but should I also bring along a bar of soap for clea-"

"What trip?" The words were out of Neji's mouth before he even realized it.

A heavy silence enveloped the surrounding atmosphere as Hanabi's previously calm eyes narrowed dangerously into slits. Anger was evident in both her gaze and tone as she stood up abruptly, causing even Neji to flinch, much to his surprise.

"Nii-san…" she managed through clenched teeth. "Do you really not remember?"

Neji raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Did I forget something?"

Those words alone seemed to make Hanabi snap, along with Neji suddenly wishing that he could take them back.

With her fists balled up, she glared straight at him and yelled in what seemed to be her loudest voice, "GO AND DIE, YOU IDIOT!"

Frozen stiff, Neji stood there as the young Hanabi stormed off with tears in her silver-hued eyes.

* * *

"Sakura-chaaaan, why do we have to go to that bastard's place so damn early in the morning?" Naruto whined, clearly frustrated from his lack of proper sleep. The blond was still in his nightshirt and pants, much to his companion's embarrassment since he'd been too sleepy to actually change into a proper pair of clothes.

Sakura on the other hand, had always been an early bird, and looked every bit awake while full of energy as she usually did. She began to pick up speed, walking faster than Naruto would've liked for her to. "You know why!" she cried out, equally frustrated with how childish her teammate was being. "The faster we get Hinata back to normal, the less likely you'll find me dead," she muttered almost to herself.

"Hn? You say something…?" he mumbled after waking up from a few seconds of sleeping.

"NO!" she roared. "Now hurry it up unless you want me to drag you there myself!"

Having reached their destination, the two stood before the Uchiha's apartment door.

"What do we do now?" Naruto asked while adjusting the ugly, yet strangely cute nightcap he always wore to sleep. "I don't think they're awake yet, so what do you say we go back home and-"

To his horror, however, the pink-haired kunoichi had one-upped him by pulling out a key from her back pocket. "S-Sakura-chan, don't tell me that that's-"

"Yes, it is," she answered, looking rather annoyed by the almost judgmental look in his eyes.

"But why would you-I mean how could you-?" he was at a loss for words.

"Geez, calm down, it's not like I stole it. I just borrowed it and made myself a copy," she scoffed.

_That's the same thing! _But Naruto was much too exhausted to even try and reason with her at all, so he let her be as she slid in the key, allowing them an open entrance into his rival/best-friend's home.

When they stepped in, Naruto watched through sleepy eyes as the love-struck kunoichi made an instant dash towards the Uchiha's bedroom. He yawned for a few more seconds before following her, not at all excited at the prospect of seeing a sleeping and defenseless Sasuke. That seemed to be more of Sakura's thing, though he wasn't exactly pleased about that either.

Upon entering the Uchiha's bedroom, however, all former thoughts in his head disappeared the second his blue eyes passed over the two sleeping figures. It didn't seem possible, not one bit. He _had_ to be seeing things. Naruto turned to Sakura for some sort of explanation, anything really, but the look on her face confirmed it; that what they were seeing was in no way an illusion.

Without warning, and rather loudly at that, Sakura cried out with tears in her eyes "SASUKE-KUN, HOW COULD YOU?"

The Uchiha was amusingly, in Naruto's eyes, jolted awake by her loud voice. Sasuke immediately sat up, his raven hair and clothes disheveled in a manner, which, even Naruto had to admit looked quite sexy, much to his annoyance.

He seemed surprised at first, his obsidian eyes uncharacteristically wide, but once his blood-pressure rose from its lowered state, he fixed a narrowed gaze on both Naruto and Sakura, his eyes burning with a silent sort of fury. It was during times like these that the blonde felt it necessary to stay away from the Uchiha, because he knew very well how moody his rival could get should anyone disturb him during his sleep.

"What the hell are you two doing here," he growled in a rather low voice, causing both intruders to nearly jump out of their skin.

Naruto decided that he would rather have Sasuke direct his anger towards him instead of Sakura, especially considering what she had done, so he took the first step forward and gave the other young man a cheeky grin. "Oh, c'mon, don't be such a grouch, Sasuke. We just thought we'd swing by and check in on you and Hinata."

The provided explanation did little to lessen the Uchiha's anger as he mouthed his next words more slowly. "And how did you get in?"

This question made Naruto freeze up as he quickly tried to come up with another answer. "Um, your…door was unlocked?" he grinned.

"No it wasn't, I locked it," Sasuke stated in a chillingly cold voice, his gaze locked with Naruto's.

Said blonde was sweating bullets by this point as he tried to come up with another believable excuse, but with the way Sasuke was staring at him and everything only made it harder for him to properly think.

"Well?" the other boy was starting to look impatient.

"Well, that is-"

"Naruto nii-chan?" came his savior's voice. All eyes fell upon the youngest person within their presence as she slowly sat up and rubbed sleepily at her eyes. "Sakura nee-chan too?"

"Ignore them," Sasuke said in a rather cold tone that left even Naruto feeling somewhat lonely. "Just go back to sleep, I'll wake you up later." He sometimes couldn't help but wonder why he was friends with such a prick.

Naruto, as well as Sakura, couldn't help but notice the slight change in his tone of voice. Had he been hearing things, or had Sasuke sounded strangely kind? Well, kind for him that is, which wasn't as often as Naruto would've liked.

_Maybe I'm sleepier than I thought?_ He mused silently.

"No, it's okay, oniichan. I'm not sleepy anymore," she smiled as she continued rubbing at her eyes. The girl certainly wasn't fooling anyone, but she was adorable to watch nonetheless.

Naruto saw this as an opportunity to distract Sasuke from being angry with him, as well as questioning him any further. "Nee, Hinata. How about we go and make some breakfast together in the kitchen? I'm kind of hungry, what about you?" he grinned while baring his pearly whites.

The young Hyuuga's face was practically beaming with excitement as she leapt from the bed and into Naruto's arms, completely throwing him off guard. And as he held her, he couldn't help but take note of how surprisingly light she was. Her skin was white and smooth to the touch. Not to mention how nicely-shaped her assets were for a-

He quickly cut himself off there. _WHAT THE HELL AM I THINKING? That damn Ero-sennin, I really have been around him too much!_

The fact that she was also in nothing but a baggy t-shirt, which obviously belonged to Sasuke, did nothing but help to spurn his imagination even further than was necessary. The very idea of Sasuke being a lolicon was more than priceless-It was pure gold. This thought, however, made him realize something as he set Hinata down and took her by the shoulders, his blue eyes serious. "Hinata, has Sasuke ever touched you anywhere inappropriate-"

He was quickly cut off by the cool touch of a blade pressed gently at his throat. Said blade was actually a kunai being wielded by none other than the Uchiha himself.

"Whatever it is you're thinking, I suggest you empty out your already empty mind and stop talking." Sasuke pressed the blade closer to his throat, to his horror. "Unless you'd rather I do it for you." His eyes were a pitch black, seething with fury.

"I-It was just a joke," the blonde squeaked, his face blue from fear.

* * *

"Do you like miso ramen, Hinata? I'll make it for you if you want me to," Naruto grinned.

Sakura swiftly elbowed him in the chest, causing the blond to double over in pain. "Baka, don't make her eat what _you_ have for breakfast," the young woman frowned. She then turned to the Hyuuga. "Hinata-chan," she smiled "I'll make you some French toast, okay?"

"Really?" the younger girl beamed. "I love French toast!"

"Yup!"

"Sakura-chan, if you're cooking, then I don't think it's a very good ide-ugh!"

"Shut up. I'm cooking, whether you like it or not."

Sasuke sat at the table with his head down, not sure if he could restrain himself from kicking them out, since it would only upset Hinata. He was not a morning person. Even Kakashi, his former sensei had known that much-but to think that these two didn't, or had chosen to forget, greatly irritated him. He sighed, deeply wishing from the bottom of his heart that they would just disappear and leave him in peace.

Watching Hinata, however, as she smiled at the two idiots with an expression full of adoration made it almost impossible for him to just suddenly kick them out. Upsetting her was the last thing on his mind. So, while mustering as much of his patience as he possibly could, he settled for keeping an eye on them until they were done eating and what not. And then he would kick them out. It was as simple as that.

His thoughts were interrupted by the young Hyuuga as she suddenly took him by the hand, urging for him to stand up. "Oniichan, come cook with us!" she smiled, her eyes lit with excitement. "We're going to make French toast _and_ ramen for breakfast!"

The urge to hurl wasn't far off at the thought of both dishes, as he allowed Hinata to drag him towards the other two. One looked at him excitedly, while the other raised an eyebrow at him. "What?"

"Can you cook, Sasuke?" the blond asked while pulling a hair clip from the breast pocket of his night shirt. He swiped his bangs upward with one hand and snapped the hairclip into place to hold it back, revealing a tan forehead. "I never took you for the chef type," he chuckled.

"Naruto, you idiot! Of course Sasuke-kun can cook! Why else do you think he's been able to live this whole time without starving?" Sakura frowned, placing both hands on her hips.

"Uh, Sakura-chan, there's something called take-out y'know-"

"But the fact that you can cook is what also makes you the ideal type of a husband," she sighed dreamily, her eyes practically heart-shaped. While Naruto lowered his head in defeat, Sasuke turned away from Sakura's burning gaze and walked over to the cupboards, pulling out a small pot.

"If you guys want to stay, then I'm going to make breakfast."

The two seemed excited by this.

As an afterthought, he turned to glare at them, "And no French toast or ramen either."

Their excitement deflated and was instantly replaced with sad looks and childish pouting. Much to Sasuke's surprise, however, they seemed to know better than to argue with him and responded by muttering "Fine…" under their breaths.

He shook his head slightly, not quite sure as to whether he was dealing with one, but three children instead.

* * *

"Man, I can't believe that Sasuke is actually a pretty decent cook!" the blond grinned, clasping his hands behind his head. "I didn't know grilled fish with miso soup could taste that good!"

Sakura could feel herself smiling at Naruto's words. Of course Sasuke was capable of doing something as simple as cooking. He was Sasuke after all. Handsome, cold, indifferent, harsh, and at times, maybe even a little kind. These traits of his were what defined him for her, and the person she knew him as.

But the look on his face this morning…

"And to think that I'm not even hungry for ramen right now!" Naruto laughed.

"Ne, Naruto?" Sakura suddenly spoke up.

The blonde ceased his one-sided conversation, his ears perking up at the sound of his name. He gave her his full attention with a questioning smile. "What is it, Sakura-chan?"

Unconsciously, Sakura had grabbed onto the sleeve of his shirt with both hands, moving in closer towards him. She didn't want anyone else to hear her.

Naruto on the other hand became increasingly nervous at the sudden display of intimacy, mistaking the kunoichi's actions for something completely different. A long silence passed by as they continued walking together with no particular destination. Blushing, he asked almost shyly, "I thought you wanted to tell me something?"

Sakura froze upon hearing his words, not quite sure as to why she hadn't spoken when he'd answered to her earlier. Her grip tightening on him, she suddenly tilted her head up to meet his gaze, unaware of how flustered she was making him. "Naruto," she began, trying to keep her voice firm.

"Y-Yes?" he asked, gulping down the lump in his throat.

"Was it just me, or did…Sasuke-kun look different this morning while he was asleep?"

All expectations were instantly thrown aside at the mention of Sasuke's name as Naruto's face soured with annoyance. "That's what you wanted to talk about?"

"Of course!" she huffed. "Did you not see his face?"

"Of course I did. What about it?" he seemed rather irritated, but she paid no mind to that.

The excitement in her words seemed to disappear at the next thought. "Sasuke-kun and Hinata were…I didn't think…" Never had she seen Sasuke look so content in all her life. But what made everything worse was that Hinata had seemed to be the cause for it. That thought alone was frustrating.

"What do you expect," the blonde scoffed. "The guy's a damn lolicon."

That one word triggered Sakura's attention immediately as she glared at Naruto. "Don't call him that. He does _not_ like young girls."

"Y'know, Sakura-chan, have you ever thought that maybe all of this wouldn't have happened if you hadn't tried to come up with that stupid new jutsu?"

His blue eyes were cold, and his tone, malicious. It was a sharp contrast from his usually energetic and warm personality. She wasn't sure of what she'd said to set him off like this. "Why are you so mad?"

"You tell me…" he muttered, pulling his arm from her grasp. Turning his back on her, he instantly disappeared, leaving behind nothing but a white cloud of smoke.

Sakura stood there, speechless, not quite sure as to what had just happened.

"Did I say something wrong?" she muttered to herself.

* * *

While cleaning up after his teammates mess, Sasuke allowed Hinata to make herself feel useful by wiping down the table with a wet cloth and soap.

"In circles, oniichan?" she asked.

"Yes," he replied, exhausted from having to wake up so early in the morning. After rinsing the last of the dishes, he set them aside and searched for something clean to dry his hands on. He would've used his shirt, but he didn't feel like changing it again.

"You can use this, oniichan. The pretty girl at the flower shop gave it to me." Hinata smiled while holding out a pure white handkerchief for him. It was patterned with a familiar looking flower, though Sasuke wasn't able to recall exactly what flower it was.

He nodded his head in thanks while wiping his hands dry with the offered cloth, strangely bothered by how familiar the flowers seemed. _Where have I seen these before…? _His traced a finger along the lines of the intricately woven patterns, trying to process the name of the flowers. The colors were a mix or bright-blues and pale lavenders. They weren't as grand looking as a sunflower or a rose, but more on the delicately-small side with fewer petals.

"Forget-me-not."

Sasuke looked up from the handkerchief towards Hinata, unsure of what it was that he was hearing. "Don't forget you?" he asked, looking rather puzzled, considering the situation the Hyuuga herself was in.

"No," she giggled. "That's what the flowers on the handkerchief are called. They're forget-me-nots."

The name itself made him raise an eyebrow. "That's kind of a strange name."

Hinata slightly frowned at this, which was something he didn't see too often. Though he had to admit, it was kind of cute. "It is not," she pouted. "Ino nee-chan told me that the flowers are a symbol of memories and…" She cocked her head to the side a bit as a thoughtful look suddenly crossed her face.

"And what?"

"Um, for some reason, I can't…remember the other one," she grinned, looking rather embarrassed.

Sasuke gently placed his hand on the top of her head and lightly ruffled her hair. "One meaning is enough," he said with a hint of a smile. "Don't force yourself, if you can't remember it."

That alone seemed to be enough to make the younger girl go red, much to the Uchiha's amusement. She covered her face with both hands, clearly wishing to not be seen by him. Sasuke felt like inwardly grinning. For some reason, it felt fun to tease her.

"O-Oniichan," she pouted. "I-I'm not a child anymore-just so you know," she added as an afterthought.

Sasuke couldn't help but snort at this. "Are you sure about that? Because I clearly remember you asking to take a bath with me not too long ago," he nearly smirked.

Her entire face flooded with heat almost instantly, even going so far as to reach her very earlobes. The look of absolute horror that came upon her face was just as priceless as Sasuke watched the heiress flee to the bedroom.

"Ah, I think I teased her too much," he sighed, feeling somewhat embarrassed as the sound of her clearly locking the bedroom door could be heard.

* * *

**A/N: It's been a bit over a month, but I kept my promise…kind of, right? Anyways, thanks again for all those who are still reading. Just a heads up though: in about two or three more chapters, this story will be officially complete! So, look forward to the next one!**


	15. What's a Bathhouse Oniichan?

**A/N: Merry Christmas everyone and happy reading to you all!**

* * *

"_Are these flowers…for me?" Hinata asked with slightly wide eyes. She was clearly trying to hide her shock, but instead failed miserably to do so._

"_It's a gift…for…helping me that day…" the Uchiha muttered almost to himself, not at all pleased that he'd chosen to give them to her in person. He could've taken the easy way out by sticking a thank you card in the bundle and having it delivered by the flower shop, but he didn't. Even he had manners, and knew that the proper way to thank someone was by doing so in person._

"_O-Oh, I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you just now. What did you say?"_

_Sasuke sighed, letting through a hint of impatience. "Look, do you want the flowers or not? Cause if you don't, then I'll just burn them to a crisp right here." That last part had been a rather lame attempt at humor in his case, but he was also just as serious._

"_N-No! Don't d-d-d-do that! I'll keep them! I-I will!" she stammered, looking quite defensive, if not a bit frightened._

_He rolled his eyes. "It was a joke." Sort of._

_A soft giggle escaped her lips, causing the Uchiha to redirect his gaze towards her. "Why are you laughing?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow._

_Her head was lowered, but she raised her eyes a bit to meet his. Her silver orbs were gleaming and looked strangely appealing to him in that instant. "It's just that…I never took Sasuke-kun as the joking type," she smiled shyly. "You were always so serious, even when we were children." The smile on her face then widened as her cheeks grew red. "It's kind of…cute."_

_He froze upon hearing such a word, not quite sure of what to make of it. It didn't upset him as much as he thought it would've. The word just didn't fit him. If anyone was cute, then the Hyuuga was definitely-_

_He mentally pummeled himself for almost finishing that thought. He had no idea as to what it was that he was thinking, but he was also less than pleased with himself. Was the world coming to an end, or was he just losing it?_

_The mouse-of-a-girl seemed to notice the turmoil going through his mind as she peered at him from beneath her straight-cut bangs. "Um…is something wrong?" she asked, blinking questionably. _

_Sasuke could only hold his breath in response before suddenly turning away, fearful of how fast his heart was beating for reasons he couldn't fully comprehend._

"_I'll…be going now," he muttered, while keeping his back to her as he headed for his apartment. _

_Those eyes of hers, and the way her full lips curved into such a gentle smile. Groaning, Sasuke shook his head, disappointed with how weak he seemed to be feeling these days._

'_What a dangerous girl...'_

"_Oniichan…"_

_This made him pause. 'What the-I'm not her brother!'_

"_Oniichan…"_

"_Stop saying that! I'm not your-!"_

"Oniichan!" came the sudden voice.

Sasuke blinked, a bit startled to find Hinata giving him a slightly impatient look from above as she stared down at him. "Oniichan, how long do you plan on sleeping _today_?"

Puzzled, the Uchiha couldn't help but question it himself. _ How long _was_ I sleeping?_

"It's already evening!" she pouted. "Why are you so sleepy all the time?"

Sasuke raked a hand through his dark locks before rubbing gently at his eyes. "Not sure…" he mumbled, forcing himself to sit upright on the couch. He yawned a bit before facing the Hyuuga with dull eyes while trying to keep them open as well. "What is it?" She usually didn't wake him up unless she really needed something. "Do you want to take another bath together after all?"

He watched in silent amusement as her pale cheeks grew red with embarrassment. "N-No!" her pitch was higher than usual, making it even more difficult for the Uchiha to keep his composure. "Oniichan, please stop t-teasing me. I d-don't like it when you're mean like this," she said quietly, while twiddling her forefingers.

Sasuke had to hide behind a hand in order to regain his composure. "Alright, alright, what is it that you need?" he asked, now fully awake.

He followed as the young girl led him into the bathroom. She pointed at the tub. "The water won't come out."

Dropping to his knees beside the tub, Sasuke turned the knob, waiting for the water to rush forward. Five minutes of waiting, however, indicated that nothing would be coming out anytime soon. All that revealed itself was a clear droplet, hanging from the spout.

"Looks like the water's been cut off," he stated as he stood up. _Stupid water bill_…_I knew I was forgetting something,_ he thought to himself. He was usually diligent when it came to things like that, but watching over the young heiress lately required more work and attention on his part, leaving little attention to anything else.

He sighed, face-palming himself. _This isn't good. I need to a hold of myself…_He secretly stole a glance in her direction, taking notice of how flustered she seemed.

"D-Does this mean that I can't take a bath?" she asked. From the look on her face, she seemed to be upset about this, much to his surprise. Had she also forgotten the alternative of taking a bath elsewhere?

"Oniichan, w-what should we do?" Her eyes were shimmering, giving him the impression that she was about to cry. A part of him strangely enjoyed the expression on her face, while the other part wanted to beat his perverted half senseless.

Sasuke could feel a big headache coming on. _This girl is seriously not good for my health_. Picking up the wooden basin from its place beside the tub, the Uchiha grabbed the necessary supplies needed for proper bathing, placing them into the basin. Once finished, he headed for the door, but didn't step out completely when he realized that Hinata hadn't followed him. He turned his head, eyeing her from over his shoulder. "C'mon, let's go."

She blinked, understandably confused. "Where are we going?"

"To the bath house," he answered. "Didn't you want to take a bath?"

Her eyes lit up upon hearing the word as she eagerly nodded her head. "W-Wait for me, I'll get my stuff too!"

Sasuke watched in amusement as the Hyuuga scrambled around for items to place into her own wooden basin.

* * *

After dumping a bucket of hot water over himself, Kiba shook off the excess water before turning to his teammate beside him. The two, were as usual, stuck like glue and had decided to make a visit to the bath house that evening. "Oi, Shino."

The pale-skinned Aburame was seated on a wooden stool, scrubbing the parts of his body that were easy to reach with a washcloth and a bar of soap. "What is it?"

Kiba slicked back the wet hair that had been matted to his forehead, and glared at his close friend. "You never told me why we shouldn't have seen Hinata the day we were supposed to," he frowned, a single fang visible. His tone became suspicious. "You're not hiding something from me, are you?"

Shino visibly halted at this, calmly reaching for the shower head as he rinsed off the soap from his body. "…No." The very sight of the two at the time had broken his heart. He figured the least he could do was to keep the same thing from happening to his teammate.

"Ah, I saw that! You froze for a second just now, didn't you?"

Standing up, Shino walked slowly over to the bathing area, careful to not slip on the wet floor. Climbing into the unoccupied bath, he submerged himself completely, allowing only his floating locks to be seen.

"And now you're obviously ignoring me!" Kiba cried out in frustration. An older man scrubbing his body was three seats down, scrubbing himself clean while glaring at the younger boy to keep it down.

Kiba lowered his voice. "Oi, Shino! I know you can hear me, you jerk!" he hissed.

* * *

"Eh? The bathhouse?" questioned a wide-eyed Sakura. "You mean…you actually want me to go with you, Sasuke-kun?" the girl was literally beaming with joy, much to Sasuke's annoyance.

"I just need you to help this girl right here," he sighed, placing a hand on the Hyuuga's head. It was better to explain the situation now then have his former teammate misunderstand his request.

"Oh, that's it?" she seemed genuinely disappointed now, much to his relief. "Well, that's fine too, I suppose," she smiled, having regained her energy. "I don't mind helping, but to think that she actually forgot what a bath house was…" The kunoichi leaned down to peer into the younger girl's face, knitting her eyebrows together as she studied the younger girl curiously. "It's rather strange if you ask me, considering the fact that you occasionally loved to bathe here."

"I-I did?" she looked more surprised than necessary. It was just a bath house after all.

"You did," Sakura grinned. "And you probably don't remember, but whenever you came here, a few of the village boys would come by to sneak a peek and-"

_What the-?_

_That _gained the Uchiha's full attention. Had he heard the kunoichi wrong, or had she actually said what he thought she'd said?

"Eh? Th-They did?" The Hyuuga blushed, her face taking on a shade as red as a tomato.

"Well, of course!" Sakura laughed, obviously pleased with the younger girl's reaction. "A pretty girl like you-it's no wonder the boys couldn't leave you alo-"

"_Enough_!" His voice came out clear and sharp. He glared at Sakura, as if indicating for her to not speak of the topic any further. This gave cause for the kunoichi to freeze, her lips shut tight. And beside her, he couldn't help but notice the slight look of fear on Hinata's face as well as she remained close by Sakura's side.

It pained him somewhat to see her fear him as she did now. He immediately turned, and with his back to them, he muttered "I'll go in first…" before heading inside.

* * *

"_Why are you so mad?"_

Those words of hers had echoed throughout his mind for the remainder of the day, up until the next morning, which was today. And as usual, Naruto passed his morning with a daily helping of a bowl of ramen. Today's flavor was spicy chicken with a topping of fishcakes. The broth was flavorful and piping hot, while the noodles were soft and thick, with a gummy-like consistency. The blond knew that he couldn't have asked for anything more, and yet, despite the oversized bowl before him, all he could find himself thinking about was the hot-tempered kunoichi he'd known for years.

He slurped a mouthful and chewed, with thoughts of the pink-haired beauty on his mind.

It was obvious to everyone, even him, that she seemed to only have eyes for Sasuke, no matter how much the Uchiha tried to dodge her advances.

He certainly cared for his teammate, but the fact that the jerk was unwilling to give her any sort of a chance was beyond frustrating, because not only did this anger him, it also made him jealous. A true friend would have probably given up on the girl and allowed his friend to be with her instead, but if said friend had absolutely no interest in her while she continued to chase him, then did he not have the right to feel as he did towards the both of them?

Though he did not want to admit it, an ugly part of himself was envious of Sasuke, jealous of how easily the Uchiha drew her attention without even trying.

And as for the other part, well, all he could feel was anger towards Sakura, his frustration at its peak as he tiredly watched his only love pursue his best friend.

Naruto lowered his chopsticks, disgusted with the twisted feelings deep inside of his heart, and yet, he couldn't help it, because when it came to Sakura…

"Sakura-chan…" the sound of her name on his lips felt so familiar, yet felt foreign at the same time. Though it had only been yesterday, it felt as though he hadn't seen her in days. His mood only worsened with each passing second as he recalled how harshly he'd spoken to her yesterday. The look on her face had certainly been priceless, but that alone hadn't been worth the thought of her possibly coming to hate him.

_Hate me…?_

His heartbeat was frantic as he stood from the table, his head turning left and right between the filth that was his apartment home as he searched for clean clothes to go out in. He knew he was a fool. He was very well aware that most of his friends thought him a fool as well, for being able to submit so easily to one young woman out of hundreds within the village without a second thought. He knew, but didn't care.

Nothing frightened him more than the thought of the pink-haired kunoichi coming to hate him. He had to apologize to her. His pride could have waited forever for all he cared.

_Wait for me, Sakura-chan!_

* * *

The women's bath was mostly empty, aside from the two older women chatting busily amongst themselves. Sakura led the younger girl with her over to one of the open stools on the right side of the baths and had her seated.

"All right, now, remove your towel so that I can wash your back for you. After that, you'll scrub your arms and legs by yourself, okay?"

The Hyuuga nodded, and proceeded to slowly strip herself of the white towel wrapped around her fairly generous and young form. Sakura found it difficult to keep from ogling the girl with envious eyes while continuously glancing down at her own lacking of assets in disappointment.

While scrubbing the other girl's back, Sakura became lost in thought as she recalled the Uchiha's sudden outburst at her comment. He was usually composed and very rarely voiced his anger, but the look on his face had said it all. In the years they'd known each other, Sasuke had surprisingly become quite transparent.

She pushed her lips out into a full-on pout. _He obviously got mad because of what I said about Hinata_…The thought of it began to make her feel depressed as she recalled Naruto's anger from yesterday as well.

She hung her head and sighed, earning her a well-confused stare from the Hyuuga. "Are you okay, Sakura nee-chan? I-If you're tired, I can scrub your back for you instead if y-you'd like," she suggested.

The kunoichi smiled and shook her head sadly, feeling not quite as sad at Hinata's attempt to cheer her up. "No, it's nothing…" That was anything but true, of course, though to voice her worries to a younger girl seemed somewhat pointless, not to mention pathetic on Sakura's part.

Dumping a bucket of warm water over herself, Sakura heaved a sigh as heavy as her heart felt at that very moment. And to think that she could do nothing but upset her teammates infuriated her to no end.

_I really am stupid_.

* * *

The old man sitting three seats away from him watched nervously as an angry Uchiha scrubbed vigorously at his pale and muscular arms, unaware of the strength he was putting into said scrubbing as he thought back to his outburst half-an hour ago.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, STUPID!_

He flung his washcloth aside, taking no notice to the fact that it had slapped the old man three seats from him, in the face. With a sigh, Sasuke hung his head low as he continued to recall the frightened look on the Hyuuga's face…

"_And you probably don't remember, but whenever you came here, a few of the village boys would come by to sneak a peek and…"_

Just thinking about it made his blood boil with rage. _Ah, damn it! Why did she have to go and say all of that?_

Standing up, the Uchiha promptly ignored the old man shakily reaching out to hand him back his washcloth, and instead headed towards the steaming hot baths to take a long and much needed soak.

Due to the amount of steam, though, he was surprised to see that he hadn't noticed someone was in it already. And from the looks of it, the person seemed to be a woman. Her long hair was gathered to one side and slick with water as it glistened beneath the bright lighting from above.

Sasuke was just about ready to step out in case she tried anything, but the second his foot was out of the water, a strong hand suddenly placed itself on his shoulder and a familiar voice passed through his ears.

"What are you doing here?" asked Hyuuga Neji, his eyes eerily similar to that of Hinata's, only sharper and colder.

The Uchiha wanted to bang his head against the tiled walls of the bathhouse until he was unconscious, or better yet, dead. Because of all the people to meet in such a place, why, why, WHY did it have to be _him_?

* * *

**A/N: I'm back! Tadaaaaa! Reason for my absence? School of course, but the semester is over for now and I'm finally free! Think of this chapter as a Christmas present for everyone, or anyone still reading this story. :P Next chapter will be up…soon? But in the meantime, there's a oneshot I've been working on, so if anyone's interested, do let me know. I've been eager to put it up while finishing **_**Sasuke Oniichan**_** at the same time. Thanks for reading~!**


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